History

The Spanish Association for Standardisation​

The Spanish Association for Standardisation and Certification was established in 1986 under the Associations Act 191/1964, and that year it was appointed by the Ministry of Industry and Energy as the entity to develop standardisation work.

In 2016 the Association's Board of Directors agreed the amendment of its By-laws and the legal, functional and accounting separation of the international standardisation and cooperation activity of companies (conformity assessment, training and information services). This activity was transferred to AENOR INTERNACIONAL, S.A.U.

This process was completed on 1 January 2017, and the Spanish Association for Standardisation (UNE) became a private, multi-sectoral, non-profit entity appointed by the Ministry of the Economy, Industry and Competitiveness as the national standardisation body.

UNE in figures

  • 89 members of staff
  • 543 members
  • 37,178 standards in catalogue
  • 3,381Draft projects
  • 199 Technical Standardisation Committees, in which more than 13,150 experts and technicians from various sectors of activity participate
  • 160 responsibilities in different supranational technical entities (ISO, IEC, CEN and CENELEC)
  • 11 international cooperation projects (active projects)
  • 46 R&D&i projects (portfolio projects)​

Information as at 2024-09-30​ ​​​​​

Our History

  • 1935 Creation of the Spanish Association for Standardisation
  • 1939 First UNE standard (Paper formats. Series of formats)
  • 1946 Establishment of the National Institute for Rationalisation in the Workplace (IRATRA), which in the year 1971 became the National Institute for Rationalisation and Standardisation (IRANOR)
  • 1986 Creation of the Spanish Association for Standardisation and Certification, appointed by the Ministry of Industry and Energy, as a standardisation entity
  • 1987 The Association assumes the representation of Spain in ISO, IEC, CEN and COPANT
  • 1987 Publication of the first UNE standard by the Association (UNE 36137:1987)
  • 1990 The Association assumes the representation of Spain in CENELEC
  • 1990 First major project of international cooperation (EU project in Mexico)
  • 1999 Creation of Centro de Ensayos, Innovación y Servicios S.L. (CEIS, Testing, Innovation and Services Centre)
  • 2001 Creation of AENOR Internacional S.A.U.
  • 2017 The Spanish Association for Standardisation (UNE) changes its name and corporate purpose and transfers its commercial activity (conformity assessment, training and information services) to AENOR Internacional S.A.U.
  • 2019 UNE approves its Strategic Plan 2019-2021 with the aim of helping businesses and administrations promote the standards they need to overcome their challenges.
  • 2020 The Association consolidates itself as a social and economic leader after its key response to beat COVID-19.
  • 2021 UNE approves its 2025 Strategy to help Spanish society overcome its major challenges.
  • 2023 The catalogue of Spanish standards stands at 37,049 documents, making it one of the most comprehensive in the world. ​