This Standard ECMA-53 defines the representation of source programs by means of standard character sets. These are:
- Standard ECMA-6 : 7-bit Coded Character Set
- Standard ECMA-35: Extensions of the 7-bit Coded Character Set
- Standard ECMA-43: 8-bit Coded Character Set.
The implementation of this representation on different media is also specified.
This Standard is directed at source programs written in APL, Minimal BASIC, COBOL, FORTRAN and PL/1.