The Fraunhofer FOKUS eGovernment Laboratory explicitly appreciates the decision of the DIN to recommend Open XML for ISO certification. Along with ODF 1.0 (ISO/IEC 26300), Open XML (Ecma 376) will be established as an additional standard for the exchange of documents.
"The standardization process of Open XML as an ISO standard will start now and result in the technological advancement of both standards, Open XML and ODF 1.0. The constructive comments that were expressed by leading experts from the industry, science, public sector and politics together with the recommendation of the DIN committee, guide the way to interoperability", outlines Gerd Schürman, Director eGovernment, Fraunhofer FOKUS, and Head of the DIN task force "Translation of Document Formats". "We will sustainably support this process in the Fraunhofer FOKUS eGovernment Laboratory and, as a member of ECMA International, provide our laboratory partner Microsoft assistance and know-how in implementing the recommendations."