The aim of all DIN's international standardization activities is to contribute to the worldwide reduction of technical barriers to trade.

A common understanding and approach to standardization is a prerequisite for uniform regional and international standards that support the globalization of markets and at the same time ensure transparency in the increasingly competitive environment.

DIN maintains bilateral cooperation with numerous standardization institutes at international level. Cooperation takes place in various formats and depends on the interests of German industry and the partner countries.

Some examples are presented below:

USA

Germany and the USA maintain a close exchange in international standardization. Various formats of bilateral cooperation have existed for a long time. On the one hand, there is the US-German Round Table, in which representatives from Standardization Institutions and the government from both countries participate. Among other things, they discuss their respective standardization strategies and opportunities for closer cooperation in future fields.

On the other hand, there is the US-German Standards Panel, in which representatives from standardization, government and business come together for a bilateral exchange and exchange views on current topics.

In addition to DIN and DKE, ANSI, the American National Standards Institute, and other American standard setters are primarily involved in these discussions.

China

In recent decades, China has developed into one of the most important trading nations in the world. China is one of Germany's most important economic partners.

The close cooperation between DIN and the Chinese standardization institute is seen as a strategic partnership and is based on a long tradition: the first agreement between the standardization institutes of the two countries was signed in 1979. On the basis of this agreement, DIN made the entire German collection of standards available to the Chinese standardization organization and thus made a decisive contribution to the development of trade relations with China.

Since then, bilateral cooperation has continued to develop.

As part of the Global Project Quality Infrastructure, the Sino-German Standardization Cooperation Commission (SGSCC) under the leadership of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs (BMWE) and the Chinese state standardization organization SAC is an important platform for the exchange of information on standardization policy issues and technical topics.  The SGSCC emerged from the standardization working group of the Sino-German Joint Economic Committee in 2011. The areas of electromobility and Industry 4.0 are currently dealt with in sub-working groups within the SGSCC. In addition, further topics are coordinated every year and discussed in an annual plenary meeting. Industry representatives from both countries also take part in this meeting.

In addition, a strategic standardization dialogue between the standardization institutes of Germany (DIN/DKE) and China (SAC) was established in 2019. The focus is on in-depth coordination on international standardization policy and agreements on future strategic work at international level. The aim is to jointly strengthen international standardization work.

India

India has undergone rapid economic development in recent decades. As early as 1993, DIN signed a cooperation agreement with the Indian Standards Institute, which has since been renewed. The primary aim of this agreement is to strengthen cooperation and promote the bilateral exchange of goods by removing technical barriers to trade.

In 2010, an Indo-German Round Table on cooperation in standardization was established, from which the Indo-German Working Group on Cooperation in Standardization, Conformity Assessment and Product Safety emerged. In September 2021, German and Indian representatives from government, industry and standardization discussed the priorities of their cooperation, including digital transformation and international harmonization of standards. Activities will continue.

The current focus is on quality infrastructure (QI) in particular. The joint working group in the Global Project Quality Infrastructure, in which DIN also works together with BIS, has been active since 2017. This committee also discusses areas that are of particular interest to economic relations between the two countries. These include SMART standards, the Digital Product Passport, artificial intelligence, electromobility, digitalization and data protection.

South Korea

In 2019, the German-Korean Standardization Dialogue (S-Dialogue) was established jointly by DIN and DKE with the South Korean partner organizations KATS (Korean Agency for Technology and Standards) and KSA (Korean Standards Association). The aim is to strengthen cooperation between the standardization institutes, bring together experts from both countries and promote the exchange of knowledge and experience. Industry representatives are also regularly invited to this exchange.

Germany and South Korea are important trading partners for each other. In addition, there is a significant scientific exchange on both sides, and the partner organizations also cooperate well in international standardization at ISO and IEC.

The aim is to further discuss the possibilities of bilateral cooperation in key areas together with the South Korean partners and interested parties in order to strengthen international standardization.