Eurocode 3 and National Annexes: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Croatia
Same Eurocode, different national annexes: overview for DE, AT, CH and HR, loads, the second-generation transition and a cross-border checklist.
Last checked: 1 Nov 2026 · sources: JRC Eurocodes, CEN, DIN, DIBt, Austrian Standards, OIB, SIA, SNV, HZN, Croatian Official Gazette · RAKUŠIĆ Corporation
A steel structure is designed to Eurocode 3 (EN 1993) together with the National Annex of the country where it will stand. The Eurocode text is the same across Europe; the National Annex sets the nationally determined parameters — partial factors, chosen procedures, and country data such as snow and seismic maps. In Germany and Croatia that combination is the legal route to a permit; in Austria it is the usual way to meet the state of the art required by OIB guideline 1. Switzerland is different: its own SIA codes are the main reference, with Eurocodes and Swiss national annexes published alongside.
What a National Annex can and cannot do
According to CEN’s guidance for national standards bodies, a National Annex may set values or classes where the Eurocode offers alternatives, give values where the Eurocode only provides a symbol, add country-specific data such as snow or seismic maps, and choose between permitted procedures. It may not alter or contradict the Eurocode text. Source: CEN/TC 250, guidance on drafting National Annexes (11 May 2022).
Country overview for EN 1993-1-1 (as of 1 Nov 2026)
| Country | National document | How it becomes binding | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | DIN EN 1993-1-1/NA:2018-12 (with DIN EN 1993-1-1:2010-12 and A1:2014-07) | MVV TB 2025/1 (DIBt), introduced by each federal state | DIN has already published NA:2026-04 for the second generation; the introduced version follows the MVV TB |
| Austria | ÖNORM B 1993-1-1:2017-11-01 | OIB guideline 1 (2023): state of the art, reliability to ÖNORM EN 1990 + B 1990-1 | OIB-RL 1 does not name EN 1993 itself |
| Switzerland | SIA 263:2013 Steel construction, SIA 263/1:2020; actions SIA 261:2020 | SIA 260–267 are “the Swiss equivalent to the Eurocodes” | SN EN 1993-1-1 with a Swiss NA also exists (SIA 263.001/NA) |
| Croatia | HRN EN 1993-1-1:2014/NA:2015 | Technical Regulation for Building Structures (OG 17/17, amendments 75/20, 7/22), Art. 39 | HRN EN 1993-1-1:2022 published in English |
Sources: DIBt, MVV TB 2025/1 · DIN Media · Austrian Standards · OIB guidelines 2023 · SIA 263 · SIA, Eurocode roll-out (9 Dec 2024) · HZN · Official Gazette 17/2017.
Loads: the local part of every design
- Germany: the MVV TB 2025/1 lists snow as DIN EN 1991-1-3 with NA:2019-04 and wind as DIN EN 1991-1-4 with NA:2010-12. For buildings in German earthquake zones it lists DIN 4149:2005-04, not EN 1998-1.
- Croatia: the technical regulation names EN 1991 and EN 1998 with their Croatian national annexes, which carry the snow, wind and seismic maps.
- Austria: OIB guideline 1 requires the state of the art and reliability to ÖNORM EN 1990 with B 1990-1; the designer sets the action standards and national parameters.
- Switzerland: actions follow SIA 261:2020.
Second-generation Eurocodes: the dates
CEN published EN 1993-1-1:2022 in November 2022. For all second-generation Eurocodes, national standards bodies must publish them by 30 September 2027 and withdraw the conflicting first-generation parts by 30 March 2028. Switzerland plans to put the second-generation SN EN parts and their national annexes into effect on 1 October 2027. Sources: JRC, second-generation Eurocodes; SIA.
For projects designed in 2026–2028, agree at the start which generation the design is based on, especially if the permit and the fabrication fall on different sides of the transition.
Execution standard
Design (Eurocode 3) and execution (EN 1090-2) belong together. Germany lists DIN EN 1090-2:2018-09 in the MVV TB; Switzerland publishes SN EN 1090-2+A1:2024 as SIA 263.052+A1. Sources: MVV TB 2025/1, SNV. More in our EN 1090 guide.
Checklist for a cross-border steel project
- Site address, so the designer can take snow, wind and seismic values from the right national maps.
- The design basis in writing: Eurocode generation and National Annex — or the SIA codes in Switzerland.
- The execution class (EXC) set by the designer.
- Who signs the structural design for the permit in the country of construction.
- Corrosivity category of the site and the protection system.
RAKUŠIĆ Corporation designs steel structures to Eurocode 3 with the National Annex of the country of construction — in Switzerland on the basis agreed for the project — and fabricates to EN 1090. See international projects and export.