EN 1993-1-5 rules the plate buckling proof of unstiffened and stiffened plated elements. Due to the complex load-bearing behavior, different stability phenomena must be considered, like plate- and column-like buckling, local buckling, torsional buckling of the stiffeners, patch-loading, etc. For this reason, the verification process can be quite complex. A more general verification concept, the Reference Resistance Design (RRD concept), has been developed in shell buckling research and has become part of EN 1993-1-6. Resistances from numerical simulations (GMNIA) according to the new EN 1993-1-14 can be used as the basis to obtain the RRD parameters. In doing so, the effects of the different stability phenomena are directly considered in the RRD parameters. The proof is straightforward if these parameters are known for a given system and loading situation. The present investigations demonstrate the application of the RRD concept to unstiffened plated elements and provide an outlook on more complex systems. The RRD concept can be a simple alternative to the proofs from EN 1993-1-5. A disadvantage of the concept is the time-consuming determination of the RRD parameters, but the real strength of the RRD concept is that it can be used in cases not covered by EN 1993-1-5.