According to GB/T 20000.1—2014 "Standardization Work Guidelines - Part 1: General Terms for Standardization and Related Activities," regional standards are defined as "standards that are adopted and publicly issued by regional standardization organizations or through them." Regional standards are established by regional standardization organizations or regional standard organizations with geographical characteristics. Once published, regional standards apply within the regional scope and serve as the basic principles for trade, exchange, and technical cooperation within the region.

Currently, the more influential regional standardization organizations include:

1.For the European region:

European Committee for Standardization (CEN)

European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC)

European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)

Eurasian Standardization, Metrology and Certification Committee (EASC)

2.For the American region:

Pan American Standards Commission (COPANT)

3.For the Asian, African, and Arabic regions:

South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO)

African Regional Standards Organization (ARSO)

Arab Standardization and Metrology Organization (ASMO)