European standards relating to corrosion protection for steel structures by protective paint systems in atmospheric conditions, in soil and water were presented. Standards contain basic as complete as possible data necessary to assure effective corrosion protection for owners of structure, planners, consultants, companies carrying out protection work , inspectors and manufacturers of coating materials. Scope of this data covers: classification of environment corrosivity, design considerations, surface preparation before painting, selection of protective paint systems, laboratory test methods, execution and supervision of paint work and development of specifications for new work and maintenance.