The Vienna Agreement provides for various forms of technical liaison and cooperation between ISO and CEN.  Of primary interest to ISO/TC67 and to CEN/TC12 is that the work programme adopted by CEN/TC12 can be transferred to ISO (TC67) in order to develop international standards with global application.  ISO/TC67 then assumes the obligation to deliver standards that can be adopted by CEN.  CEN/TC12 appoints European Project Leaders to the ISO Working Groups whose role is to ensure that CEN interests are recognised (see TC12 EPL Manual for details of TC12's expectations).

History

Formally approved on 27 June 1991 in Vienna by the CEN Administrative Board following its approval by the ISO Executive Board at its meeting on 16 and 17 May 1991 in Geneva, it replaced the "Agreement on exchange of technical information between ISO and CEN" (Lisbon Agreement) concluded in 1989.

The new 2001 edition includes emphasis on the following:

the Vienna Agreement itself has been restricted to a declaration of the principles for the cooperation between ISO and CEN;

All procedural details have been included in the implementation guidelines;

The primacy of international standardization is more strongly reflected;

Text has been added indicating that assignment of lead to CEN should only take place in very exceptional cases;

ISO committees may decide to assign lead to CEN contingent on there being a CD level vote on the document in the ISO committee;

Revisions of all Vienna Agreement documents will take place under ISO-lead, even if the current version was or is being developed under CEN-lead;

The one to four ISO committee representatives may attend the relevant CEN committee meetings without need for issuance of special invitations and are expected to represent the breadth of comments from the ISO committee, not a consensus of the ISO committee as previously understood;

During 2002, ISO and CEN will consider the feasibility of eliminating CEN lead.