ANNUAL REPORT 2023
ANNUAL REPORT 2023
FOREWORD
Looking back at 2023, it was a year marked by significant milestones and developments for EA. With the establishment of the EA Code of Conduct, reinforcing the principles of respect, non-discrimination, and brand protection, and the formulation of the EA Policy on EA-1/13, enhancing relationships with National Accreditation Bodies from non-EA countries, we saw notable progress. Additionally, we witnessed changes in membership with San Marino Accreditation Service joining the EA membership, and the conclusion of the European Quality Assurance (QA) Scheme for breast cancer services with the European Commission, aiming at ensuring the same quality for all breast cancer patients in Europe.
Looking ahead to 2024, continued efforts in harmonization are promising to shape the landscape further. As we navigate new territories in accreditation and conformity assessment with our members and stakeholders, our commitment to excellence remains steadfast, guided by collaboration, innovation, and a shared vision for the future.
Dr Andreas Steinhorst, Executive Secretary
Highlights
EA CODE OF CONDUCT
EA published a Code of Conduct for all persons and bodies working for and within EA, including EA members, stakeholders, observers, and EA officers and staff.
The principles include:
- Respecting others,
- Behavior, non-discrimination, gender equality/equity, working for the benefit of the European community, respecting and protecting EA’s brand and reputation, and monitoring potential non-compliance.
Click here to read the Code of Conduct.
EA POLICY ON EA-1/13 EA’s relationship with accreditation bodies of countries not being members of the EU or EFTA
The Executive Board agreed on the following policy regarding the peer evaluation of National Accreditation Bodies (NABs) that are members of other Regional Accreditation Groups (RAGs) or unaffiliated:
1. A NAB that is a member of another recognized RAG or is unaffiliated – and that is not eligible to become an EA member according to the EA Articles of Association – may be peer evaluated by EA (only), if the European Commission requests this NAB to demonstrate compliance with the principles of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 and its competence to accredit CABs for notification purposes and/or for other EU legislations/regulatory schemes.
For this purpose, the NAB needs to sign a cooperation agreement with EA.
Any existing results of a recent peer evaluation by the other RAG (or IAF or ILAC) shall be considered in the peer evaluation by EA.
2. A NAB eligible to become an EA member according to the Articles of Association and a full member of another recognized RAG, may be peer evaluated by EA if that RAG does not offer the MLA scope desired by the NAB under its peer evaluation system.
The NAB shall become an EA member in order to apply for the EA peer evaluation. Any existing results of a recent peer evaluation by the other RAG (or IAF or ILAC) shall be considered in the peer evaluation by EA. As soon as the other RAG offers the scope concerned for peer evaluation, EA shall stop with the peer evaluation of the NAB and terminate the EA MLA signatory status.
Based on this agreed policy, EA-1/13 will be revised in 2024.
Signature of the EA Membership agreement by Denis Cecchetti (SMAS Director), with Maureen Logghe (EA President, BELAC), during the General Assembly, in Dublin, Ireland, November 2023
MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
BSCA, the National Accreditation Body of Belarus, ceased to meet the requirements imposed for membership in the EA Articles of Association, therefore EA terminated the membership of BSCA in May 2023.
EA welcomed a new Member, San Marino Accreditation Service (SMAS), the National Accreditation Body of San Marino in May 2023.
The launch of the National Accreditation Body of San Marino is part of the national strategy to structure the Republic of San Marino as an Official Business Gate. It is also an initiative to align the jurisdiction with international standards in view of the Association Agreement with the EU. New and exciting opportunities could arise in the short or midterm for the certification bodies and enterprises of San Marino. For the entire country system, it would mean a concrete step towards full international recognition, in a sector that has become strategic at all levels and from which San Marino has remained excluded until now.
EA is counting 49 members.
Signature of the EA Membership agreement by Denis Cecchetti (SMAS Director), with Maureen Logghe (EA President, BELAC), during the General Assembly, in Dublin, Ireland, November 2023
Last CPC meeting in March 2023, Riga, Latvia
FROM CPC TO THE COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK
EA disbanded the Communications and Publications Committee (CPC) and created the Communications Network (CN), a place for Communications professionals to:
• discuss matters related to the communication activities of EA Members, IAF/ILAC and Stakeholders;
• exchange and cascade information on communication activities, exchange communication strategies, and exchange best practices;
• support EA members in communication issues, and benchmark communication activities between EA Members with the purpose of transfer of marketing and communication knowledge and best practices between EA Members, support and provide input into the development of communication and promotional material aiming to support EA Member activities;
• support EA members to raise awareness regarding the value of accreditation to all interested parties;
• generate materials and case studies that demonstrate the value of accreditation;
• adapt materials produced by the Quality Infrastructure and accreditation partners to promote accreditation in EA Members’ economies.
Last CPC Meeting in March 2023, Riga, Latvia
UPDATE AFN REPORT
According to Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 accreditation is defined as “an attestation by a National Accreditation Body (NAB) that a Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) meets the requirements set by harmonized standards and, where applicable, any additional requirements including those set out in relevant sectorial schemes, to carry out a specific conformity assessment activity”. Therefore, NABs have to use harmonized standards for the assessment when accreditation is used as the basis for notification.
To ensure a coherent level of outcome provided by conformity assessment bodies being accredited and notified by the Member State, the accreditation by NABs should be conducted in a harmonized way throughout Europe.
EA started in 2014 the AfN project to harmonize the accreditation requirements used as the basis for notification by defining the preferred harmonized standards for each Union Harmonization Legislation.
EA updated in November 2023 the Accreditation for Notification (AfN) report to cover one new legislation: Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 – Machinery.
The updated AfN Report can be downloaded from EA’s website.
EA MLA MARK REGISTRATION UPDATE
EA has been establishing an MLA mark to identify EA Multilateral Agreement (MLA) signatories and their accredited CABs. The formal registration as a collective mark of the EU was completed in June 2022. As agreed in November 2019, the EA MLA mark shall not be used until it is registered in the countries of all EA MLA signatories.
The process for registering the EU mark as an international mark is progressing for those EA MLA signatories who are not EU Members: further to EA’s formal application to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the EA MLA mark has been successfully registered dated 12 April 2023 as an international collective mark with the WIPO. The mark is now examined by the national offices of the MLA signatories which are not EU Members; notifications may be issued until 18 months after notification of the registration of the EA MLA mark in each country. This means that the full process is expected to be completed by summer 2025.
The application of the EA MLA mark should remain voluntary for NABs signatories of the EA MLA, which will be entitled to use the MLA mark in combination with their logo. Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) accredited by an MLA-signatory NAB will have the right to use the MLA mark in combination with the NAB accreditation symbol. The basic principle is that the mark can only be used in a country where it has been properly registered. It means that the mark will be registered (at least) in all the countries of the EA MLA signatories.
EA Multilateral Agreement (EA MLA)
NUMBER OF SIGNATORIES PER SCOPE
44 EA Members are signatories to the EA MLA. The individual EA Multilateral Agreement Signatories are listed by MLA scope in EA-INF/03: Signatories to the EA Multilateral Agreement.
| Scopes | Number of MLA Signatories |
|---|---|
| Calibration | 41 |
| Testing | 42 |
| Medical examinations | 38 |
| Inspection | 43 |
| Product certification | 37 |
| Management system certification | 36 |
| Certification of persons | 33 |
| Proficiency Testing Providers | 21 |
| Validation and Verification (GHG) | 25 |
| Reference Material Producers (RMP) | 12 |
EA MLA ON EN ISO/IEC 17029:2019
EA launched the EA MLA on EN ISO/IEC 17029:2019 in October 2022. The MLA signatory status in the field of validation and verification was updated to EN ISO/IEC 17029 for 20 National Accreditation Bodies by end of December 2023: AA (Austria), ACCREDIA (Italy), BAS (Bulgaria), BELAC (Belgium), CAI (Czech Republic), COFRAC (France), DAkkS (Germany), EAK (Estonia), ENAC (Spain), ESYD (Greece), FINAS (Finland), LATAK (Latvia), NAH (Hungary), PCA (Poland), RENAR (Romania), RvA (The Netherlands), SA (Slovenia), SNAS (Slovakia), SWEDAC (Sweden) and TURKAK (Türkiye).
ATCG, A NEW EA MLA SIGNATORY
ATCG, the National Accreditation Body of Montenegro, became an EA MLA signatory in October 2023 in the fields of testing (EN ISO/IEC 17025),
including medical examination (EN ISO 15189), calibration (EN ISO/IEC 17025), inspection (EN ISO/IEC 17020), and Product Certification (EN ISO/IEC 17065).
The EA Multilateral Agreement is a signed agreement among EA Members. EA MLA Signatories recognize and accept the equivalence of the accreditation systems operated by the signing members and the reliability of the conformity assessment results provided by Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) accredited by the signing members. This means that once an EA MLA signatory accredits a CAB, it will be accepted by all other EA MLA signatories.
Mrs. Anita Krulanovic, ATCG Director, was interviewed during the official signing of the EA MLA. What does it mean for ATCG to be an EA MLA Signatory?
“Signing the EA MLA is one of the greatest achievements of ATCG’s work and performance so far. For us, it is not only a recognition that we stand side by side with other National Accreditation Bodies (NABs) from all over Europe, but it is also a confirmation that since our establishment, we have organized, patiently built, and continuously improved the accreditation system in Montenegro in accordance with the best European and international practices.
By signing the EA MLA, ATCG now belongs to a wider community, along with all the other NAB signatories of the EA MLA. We may proudly say that we have succeeded in integrating our accreditation system with the European accreditation system operated within the framework of EA.”
Maria Papatzikou (EA MAC Chair, ESYD)
and Anita Krulanovic (ATCG Director, Montenegro)
PEER EVALUATION RE-ENGINEERING PROJECT
Accreditation developing in many new areas, digitalization booming in more and more sectors of daily operations, cybersecurity issues, Artificial Intelligence (AI) -related discussions, intensive development of internet-based processes, etc. These are a few of the major changes that organizations are faced with. EA and its members, the National Accreditation Bodies (NABs), are no exception. More specifically, changes in accreditation standards, but also changes in the processes in the NABs prompted EA to revisit its practices regarding peer evaluations. The reengineering project was concluded in 2023 and the following measures were implemented.
The Secretariat’s support to the evaluation team has been considerably reinforced by transferring more tasks from the MAC Management Group to the Secretariat while increasing resources and competencies in the Secretariat. Experience already shows that the change is a good one; it is very well received by the NABs and the peer evaluation teams.
More flexibility has been introduced in the planning of witnessing activities, which can be disconnected from the main evaluation week.
It provides better coverage of the evaluation and makes it easier for the NAB to plan the relevant activities.
An online decision-making system has been set up. It can be used every time the peer-evaluation report does not raise critical issues. So far, it applies in 90% of the cases. There is no need to wait until the next MAC meeting: the decision can be made and published shortly after the closing of the ballot. Consequently, only critical cases remain on the MAC meeting agenda for discussions, leaving more room for other discussions e.g. policies, workshops, etc.
With these actions, the MAC project to reengineer the peer-evaluation system, one of the key actions of the EA Strategy 2025, has been completed in 2023.
Trainings
TRAININGS
EA is regularly organizing training sessions for peer evaluators: Refresher and Newcomer training sessions.
Refresher training sessions aim at improving the performance and harmonisation of peer evaluation work. This includes that EA evaluators are informed about new requirements, changes in peer evaluation procedures, and areas for improvement, and share their experience among peers.
Three Refresher training sessions took place in 2023:
- Product certification and Inspection on 6-7 June;
- Testing, Medical examinations, and Proficiency Testing Providers on 22-23 November;
- and Deputy Team Leaders and Team Leaders on 13-14 December.
Newcomer training sessions for peer evaluators intend to bolster the number of peer evaluators, a crucial obligation for each EA National Accreditation Body (NAB).
This is particularly important as EA MLA signatories are required to provide peer evaluators to the peer-evaluation system. In 2023, the newcomer session took place on 12-14 December.
A Train-the-trainer course on ISO 15189:2022 Medical laboratories — Requirements for quality and competence was held between 6-7 June 2023 (1st session) and 8-9 June 2023 (2nd session). The training intended to cover on the relevant changes of the new standard ISO 15189:2022 and where particular focus is needed.
Newcomer training session on 12-14 December 2023, Paris, France
European Commission and Stakeholders
NEW LEGISLATIONS PROPOSED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
The European Commission published several legislations in which accreditation and conformity assessment play a key role, such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 concerning batteries and waste batteries.
EA is involved in over 25 new or revised legislations in progress, such as the Cyber Resilience Act, the Artificial Intelligence Act, the Regulation on establishing a Union certification framework for carbon removals, the Ecodesign Directive, and the Construction Products Regulation. The involvement of EA and its members is crucial to ensure that accreditation and conformity assessment are being applied according to the European legal accreditation framework. EA established a document, EA-INF/05 Directory of European legislations and EU schemes with provisions to accreditation and/or conformity assessment, which lists a comprehensive directory of the published EU legislations and schemes with accreditation and conformity assessment.
End of 2023, there were EU legislations on:
THE EUROPEAN QUALITY ASSURANCE SCHEME FOR BREAST CANCER
The European Accreditation (EA) was tasked by the DG JRC to develop the accreditation aspects of the European QA Scheme, aligning with EN ISO/IEC 17011:2017 standards. EA evaluated and validated the scheme’s feasibility, concluding its fit for purpose.
The European Quality Assurance (QA) Scheme for breast cancer services has been established under the auspices of the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer (ECIBC) in 2023. The ECIBC project was launched by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, with oversight by the Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). The European Commission owns the European QA Scheme.
The European QA Scheme defines a common set of quality and safety requirements for Breast Cancer Services (BCSs) in Europe, which should be followed by any entity providing BCSs to women. The fulfillment of these requirements is demonstrated through accredited certification.
The European QA Scheme applies to all healthcare services covering the entire breast cancer care pathway. The breast cancer care pathway defined and covered by the scheme outlines the journey followed by a patient, including possible entry and end points and the services involved. This approach ensures that the European QA Scheme follows a patient-centered perspective.
Adopting the European QA Scheme is voluntary and not mandatory for health services/BCSs to implement. However, if a BCS entity chooses to implement it and seeks certification under the scheme, it must adhere to the scheme’s requirements and criteria.
Through accreditation, conducted by a National Accreditation Body, a CB obtains recognition and affirmation that it competently and impartially carries out its duties following the relevant harmonized standard (EN ISO/IEC 17065) when certifying BCSs. In addition to the harmonized standard, the scheme owner’s requirements, as described in the Manual for Breast Cancer Services and the Scheme Owner Manual, must also be applied.
Diagnostic services, including pathology and imaging services, are integral parts of breast cancer services, and the competence of the bodies providing these services can be demonstrated through accreditation.
Final validation awaits publication of the Manuals for Breast Cancer Services and the Scheme Owner in the second half of 2024, marking the successful conclusion of the EA-JRC project on BCS in 2023.
To read the Summary Report, click here.
EN ISO/IEC 17025 FOR FIRE TESTING LABORATORIES WITH EGOLF
EGOLF (the European Group of Organisations for Fire Testing, Inspection and Certification) decided to support accreditation to EN ISO/IEC 17025 for fire testing laboratories but asked for a common approach.
A fire laboratory assesses the performance of a product by testing according to a test method. Based on different measurements but also from observations, the fire laboratory will provide the fire performance based on criteria and threshold given in the test standard. The laboratory provides a fire test report describing the product, the measured values, and the resulting fire performance. Based on test reports, the fire laboratory issues a European classification report or national approval according to the rules specified in the classification standards. Some National Accreditation Bodies did accept to accredit according to ExAp (extending the field of application) and classification standards, and some didn’t. As part of its harmonization mission, the EA Laboratory Committee (EA LC) established a new Task Force Group to clarify the situation.
The EA LC agreed that each laboratory can apply to be accredited by its National Accreditation Body for both Fire Classification & ExAp standards using ISO/IEC 17025 requirements on Opinions & Interpretations. It represents a step towards harmonization (even if an NAB may decide not to develop such an activity). EGOLF welcomed this approach as an excellent starting point since some laboratories did not previously have the possibility of accreditation for Fire Classification and ExAps. Thanks to the EA LC TFG, the way for laboratories to apply to EN ISO/IEC 17025 and to perform assessments by the National Accreditation Bodies is now understandable and simplified.
EA cooperates with more than 40 Recognised Stakeholders, whose complete list is available on the EA website at
https://european-accreditation.org/about-ea/ea-stakeholders/
In accordance with EA-1/15: EA Policy for Relations with Stakeholders providing for a formal review every five years, the Recognised Stakeholder agreement with IFS, International Featured Standards, has been renewed in September 2023 for the coming five years.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between CEN, CENELEC, EA, EURAMET, and WELMEC on the creation and implementation of the European Quality Infrastructure is being established. It shall be signed in the first quarter of 2024. This MoU aims to establish the European Ql Network, a partnership of regional quality infrastructure organizations that collaborate to strengthen the Quality Infrastructure in Europe.
LIST OF EA RECOGNIZED STAKEHOLDERS
| ANEC | European Consumer Voice in Standardisation |
| BIOENERGY | European trade association open to national biomass associations and bioenergy companies active in Europe |
| BUSINESS EUROPE | Confederation of European Business |
| CECIP | Comité Européen des Constructeurs d’Instruments de Pesage, the European weighing industry association |
| CEN-CENELEC | European Committee for Standardization (CEN) – European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) |
| CEOC INTERNATIONAL | International Confederation of. Inspection and Certification Organisations |
| E3S | European Sensory Science Society |
| EC – DG GROW | European Commisson – Directorate-General (DG) for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs |
| EDQM | European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and Healthcare of the Council of Europe |
| EFAC | European Federation of Associations of Certification Bodies |
| EFLM | European Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine |
| EFNDT | European Federation for Non-Destructive Testing |
| EFTA | European Free Trade Association |
| EGOLF | European Group of Organisations for Fire Testing, Inspection and Certification |
| ENFSI | European Network of Forensic Science Institutes |
| EOCC | European Organic Certifiers Council |
| EOQ | European Organization for Quality |
| EPPO | European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization |
| ERA | European Union Agency for Railways |
| ETSI | European Telecommunications Standards Institute |
| EU FPR | Notified Body Coordination Group under Article 36 of the Fertilising Products Regulation (FPR) 2019/1009/EU |
| EURACHEM | Network of organisations in the international traceability of chemical measurements |
| EURAMET | European Association of National Metrology Institutes |
| EUROCER BUILDING | Association of Product Certification Bodies in Europe active in the Construction sector |
| EUROLAB | European Federation of National Associations of Measurement, Testing and Analytical Laboratories |
| EUROVENT | Europe’s Industry Association for Indoor Climate (HVAC), Process Cooling, and Food Cold Chain Technologies |
| ETICS | European Testing Inspection and Certification System |
| EWF | European Federation for Welding, Joining and Cutting |
| FAMI-QS | The Quality and Safety System for Speciality Feed Ingredients asbl (withdrawal formalised in July 2022) |
| FSSC 22000 | Food Safety System Certification |
| GAMBICA | Association for Instrumentation, Control,Automation & Laboratory Technology |
| GLOBALG.A.P. | GLOBAL Good Agricultural Practice |
| IFS | International Featured Standards |
| IIOA | Independent International Organisation for Assurance |
| IQNet | International Certification Network |
| NB-RAIL Association | International non-profit organization of the Notified Bodies for Interoperability in the Railway Sector |
| ORGALIME | European Engineering Industries Association |
| PEFC | International Certification Network – Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes |
| RSG | Recreational Craft Sectoral Group |
| TIC COUNCIL | International Association representing Independent Testing, Inspection and Certification companies |
| UILI | Union Internationale des Laboratoires Indépendants |
| WELMEC | European Cooperation in Legal Metrology |
UPDATE FROM THE EA ADVISORY BOARD
The EA Advisory Board (EAAB) is the main forum for relations with stakeholders and advises EA on a broad range of political and strategic issues. The Board’s composition constitutes a well-balanced representation of the parties that rely on and contribute to the European accreditation system.
The EA Advisory Board advised EA to speed up the process of performing a skills gap analysis to identify and collect NABs’ needs in terms of capability building and training in order to meet the challenges posed by the various regulations for new technologies implementation. They suggested the new machinery regulation as a pilot model.
The CAB and Industry Colleges urged the National Notifying Authorities, which have the final exclusive responsibility for notification at the national level, to participate in solving any issues together with the European Commission to ensure further the validity acceptance of certificates issued by notified bodies.
EAAB meeting in May 2023, Brussels, Belgium
Cooperation with IAF and ILAC
“SINGLE INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION
FOR ACCREDITATION” PROJECT – GLOBAC
In October 2019, ILAC and IAF agreed to establish a single international organisation for accreditation, which shall replace the two organisations ILAC and IAF. The new organisation shall be established in New Zealand. The Constitution and the General Rules of the new Organisation are being discussed in ILAC and IAF. Both governance documents shall be finalised in 2024.
For EA, there is still the important issue, that the new organisation should be an association of accreditation bodies (only), with a close relationship with all relevant stakeholders. In 2023, the name GLOBAC, for Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated was chosen by IAF and ILAC.
ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation) is the international organization on laboratory, inspection body, reference material producer and proficiency testing provider accreditation in accordance with ISO/IEC 17011. Its membership consists of Accreditation Bodies and stakeholder organizations throughout the world.
- 114 Full Members;
- 17 AB Associate Members;
- 6 recognised Regional Cooperation Bodies (Arab Accreditation Cooperation (ARAC), European co-operation for Accreditation (EA), Inter American Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC), Asia Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (APAC), African Accreditation Cooperation (AFRAC), and Southern African Development Community Cooperation in Accreditation (SADCA)); 20 Stakeholder Members.
The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) is the world association of Accreditation Bodies (AB) interested in conformity assessment in the fields of management systems, products, services, personnel, validation and verification, and other similar programs of conformity assessment.
- 97 Accreditation Bodies Members;
- 27 Association Members;
- 6 Recognised Regional Accreditation Groups (AFRAC, APAC, ARAC, EA, IAAC, SADCA).
Communications
EU ETS VIDEO
In May 2023, EA published a video on the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). It is the first international emissions trading system. The EU ETS was established in 2005 and remains the largest carbon market. The EU ETS is a vital part of the EU policy to counteract climate change and a tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions cost-efficiently. It operates in the European Economic Area (EEA), covering emissions from energy-intensive industrial sectors, power and heat generation, and commercial aviation within the EU.
To watch the video, click here.
EA REPORTS
EA published two interactive reports:
- The One Voice report presenting the sectors, where EA NABs are using for the same activity different standards for the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies;
- The EA Annual Report 2022 with the main activities in 2022. Compared to the PDF version, the interactive EA Annual Report was consulted over 600 times in 2023.
EA also issued the EA MLA Report 2022, as well as the two ILAC, IAF, and Regions reports for 2022, the Breast Cancer Services report, and the updated AfN report on the project aiming to harmonize the accreditation requirements used as a basis for notification by defining the preferred harmonized standards for each Union Harmonization Legislation.
EA INTRANET UPDATE
SOCIAL MEDIA FOR 2023
Publications
PUBLICATIONS
NEW AND REVISED DOCUMENTS PUBLISHED IN 2023
EA Code of Conduct
| EA-1/17 | EA Rules of Procedure |
| EA-1/22 | EA Procedure and Criteria for the Evaluation of Conformity Assessment Schemes by EA Accreditation Body Members |
| EA-INF/15 | Joint EA-EDQM Communication regarding Cooperation when carrying out (joint) audits/assessments in Official Medicines Control Laboratories |
| EA-2/15 | EA Requirements for the Accreditation of Flexible Scopes |
| EA-0/07 | EA Procedure for Application for EA Membership or a Cooperation Agreement and Application Form |
NEW DOCUMENTS UNDER DEVELOPMENT IN 2023
| EA-3/01 S1 | Rules for Use of the EA MLA Mark Note: approved in October 2020; not to be published before the EA MLA mark is formally registered. |
| EA-X/XX | Guidelines for the Accreditation of Laboratories carrying out Genetic Testing using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) / Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) Techniques |
| EA-X/XX | Guidance Document on Transfers of Certificates under ISO/IEC 17024 |
DOCUMENTS UNDER REVISION AT END 2023
| EA-0/06 | Format & Layout of EA Documents |
| EA-0/08 | Procedure for EA Management Reviews |
| EA-1/06 | EA Multilateral Agreement. Criteria for Signing. Policy and Procedures for Development |
| EA-1/13 | EA’s Relationship with Accreditation Bodies of Countries not being Members of the EU or EFTA |
| EA-1/15 | EA Policy for Relations with Stakeholders |
| EA-1/21 | EA Internal Procedure for Liaison Activities |
| EA-2/02 | EA Procedure for the Evaluation of a National Accreditation Body |
| EA-2/02 S4 | Supplement 4: EA Procedure for the Evaluation of a National Accreditation Body. Procedure for the Management of the Peer Evaluations in case of Extraordinary Circumstances |
| EA-2/15 | EA Requirements for the Accreditation of Flexible Scopes |
| EA-4/14 | The Selection and Use of Reference Materials |
| EA-4/20 | Guidance for the Assessment of Laboratories Against EN ISO 15189 and EN ISO 22870 Point-of-Care Testing (POCT) |
| EA-4/21 | Guidelines for the Assessment of the Appropriateness of Small Interlaboratory Comparisons within the Process of Laboratory Accreditation |
| EA-5/02 | Guidance on the Application of ISO/IEC 17020 in Vehicle Inspection |
| EA-6/03 | EA Document for Recognition of Verifiers under the EU ETS Directive |
| EA-INF/04 | Statement on Acceptance and Recognition of Activities under the EA MLA |
| EA-INF/14 | Communication with the European Commission and its DGs |
DOCUMENTS WITHDRAWN IN 2023
None.
EA Structure
EA STRUCTURE
EXECUTIVE BOARD
1st row, from left to right
Maureen Logghe, BELAC, President
Cecilie Laake, NA, Vice-President
Leopoldo Cortez, IPAC
2nd row, from left to right
Jesper Høy, DANAK
Roeland Nieuweboer, RvA
Karine Vincent, COFRAC
TECHNICAL MANAGEMENT BOARD
1st row, from left to right
Cecilie Laake, NA, Vice-President
Sergio Guzzi, ACCREDIA, LC Chair
Maria Papatzikou, ESYD, MAC Chair
Gabriel Zrenner, DAkkS, HHC Chair2nd row, from left to right
Casper Van Erp, RvA, CC Chair
Marek Wilgos, PCA, IC Chair
EA SECRETARIAT
The EA Secretariat welcomed Ankica Barisic, as the new Manager of Peer evaluations and Evaluators. She works closely with Daniela Ionescu, the MAC Secretary.
1st row, from left to right
Andreas Steinhorst, Executive Secretary
Sandy Adonel, General Administration, Administration of Peer Evaluators, EA Trainings
Ankica Barišić, Manager of Peer evaluations and Evaluators
Martine Blum, Head of Administration
Amandine Combe, Communications and Marketing Manager, Secretary of the Communication Network
2nd row, from left to right
Samantha Haddar, Secretary of the Horizontal and Harmonization Committee and Laboratory Committee
Daniela Ionescu, Secretary of the Multilateral Agreement Council, Manager of the peer-evaluations system
Frédérique Laudinet, Secretary of the Certification Committee, Inspection Committee and EA Advisory Board, Relations with EA Recognized Stakeholders, EA Reporting, Assistant to the Executive Secretary
Yannick Nol, Finances Manager
Membership
ALBANIA – Directorate of Accreditation (DPA)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Testing, Management Systems Certification, Inspection Bodies, Certification of Persons
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 104
Phone: +355 4 22 69 325
info@dpa.gov.al – www.dpa.gov.al
ALGERIA – Organisme algérien d’accréditation (ALGERAC)
Status: Public
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing, Inspection
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 21
Phone: + 213 21 77 42 65
contact@algerac.dz – www.algerac.dz
ARMENIA – Armenian National Accrediation Body (ARMNAB)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: /
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: /
Phone: +37 410 20 33 81
armnab@armnab.am – www.armnab.am
AUSTRIA – Akkreditierung Austria (AA)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 480
Phone: +43 1 71 100 805411
akkreditierung@bmwfw.gv.at – www.bmdw.gv.at/Services/Akkreditierung.html
AZERBAIJAN – Azerbaijan Accreditation Centre (AzAK)
Status: Public
Activities under the EA MLA: /
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: /
Phone: +99412 4499959
azac@accreditation.gov.az – www.azstand.gov.az
EGYPT – Egyptian Accreditation Council (EGAC)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Proficiency Testing Providers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 15
Phone: +202 2527 5224
info@egac.gov.eg – www.egac.gov.eg
ESTONIA – Estonian Accreditation Centre (EAK)
Status: Private
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 224
Phone: + 372 6 021 801
info@eak.ee – www.eak.ee
FINLAND – Finnish Accreditation Service (FINAS)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification, Proficiency Testing Providers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 263
Phone: + 358 29 5052 000
akkreditointi@finas.fi – www.finas.fi/sites/en/Pages/default.aspx
FRANCE – Comité français d’accréditation (COFRAC)
Status: Private
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification, Proficiency Testing Providers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 3,575
Phone: +33 1 44 68 82 20
information@cofrac.fr – www.cofrac.fr
JORDAN – Jordan Accreditation & Standardization Systems – Accreditation Unit (JAS-AU)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: /
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: /
Phone: +962-6-5301231
lana.marashdeh@jsmo.gov.jo – www.au.gov.jo
KOSOVO – Kosovo General Accreditation Directorate (DAK)
Status: Public
Activities under the EA MLA: /
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: /
Phone: +381 38 512 796
ardiana.shala@rks-gov.net – https://dak.rks-gov.net/
LATVIA – Latvian National Accreditation Bureau (LATAK)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 307
Phone: + 371 67373051
administracija@latak.lv – www.latak.gov.lv/index.php?lang=lv
LITHUANIA – Lithuanian National Accreditation Bureau (LA)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 243
Phone: +370 706 65173
info@nab.lt – www.nab.lt
ROMANIA – Romanian Accreditation Association (RENAR)
Status: Private
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification, Proficiency Testing Providers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 1,235
Phone: + 40 21 402 04 71
renar@renar.ro – www.renar.ro/ro
SAN MARINO – San Marino Accreditation Service (SMAS)
Status: Public
Activities under the EA MLA: /
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: /
Phone: +39 549 980 380
denis.cecchetti@camcom.sm – www.camcom.sm/san-marino-accreditationservice-smas
SERBIA – Accreditation Body of Serbia (ATS)
Status: Public
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 767
Phone: + 381 11 313 03 73
office@ats.rs – www.ats.rs
SLOVAKIA – Slovak National Accreditation Service (SNAS)
Status: Public
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification, Proficiency Testing Providers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 572
Phone: + 421 948 349 517
snas@snas.sk – www.snas.sk
SLOVENIA – Slovenska akreditacija (SA)
Status:Public
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 246
Phone: +386(0)15473250
info@slo-akreditacija.si – www.slo-akreditacija.si
BELGIUM – Belgian Accreditation Council (BELAC)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification, Proficiency Testing Providers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 595
Phone: +32 2 27 75 434
belac@economie.fgov.be – www.belac.fgov.be
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA – Institute for Accreditation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BATA)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing, Medical examination, Inspection, Product certification
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 117
Phone: +387 33 72 13 10
info@bata.gov.ba – www.bata.gov.ba
BULGARIA – Bulgarian Accreditation Service (BAS)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 614
Phone: +359 2 873 53 02
office@nab-bas.bg – www.nab-bas.bg
GEORGIA – Unified National Body on Accreditation – Accreditation Centre (GAC)
Status: Public
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examinations, Product Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 100
Phone: + 995 32 219 22 33
gac@gac.gov.ge – www.gac.gov.ge
GERMANY – Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH (DAkkS)
Status: Private
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification, Proficiency Testing Providers, Reference Material Producers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 4,714
Phone: +49 (0) 30 67 059 10
contact@dakks.de – www.dakks.de
GREECE – Hellenic Accreditation System (ESYD)
Status: Public
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification, Proficiency Testing Providers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 883
Phone: + 30 210 7204 502
esyd@esyd.gr – www.esyd.gr
HUNGARY – National Accreditation Authority (NAH)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification, Proficiency Testing Providers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 647
Phone: +36 (1) 550-1007
titkarsag@nah.gov.hu – www.nah.gov.hu
LUXEMBOURG – Office Luxembourgeois d’Accreditation et de Surveillance (OLAS)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Inspection
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 64
Phone: +352 24 77 43 00
dominique.ferrand@ilnas.etat.lu – www.ilnas.public.lu
MALTA – National Accreditation Board (NAB-Malta)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing, Inspection
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 30
Phone: + 356 23952510
claudio.boffa@nabmalta.org.mt – www.nabmalta.org.mt
MONTENEGRO – Accreditation Body of Montenegro (ATCG)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: /
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2020: /
Phone: + 382 20 246 2796
atcg@t-com – www.akreditacija.me
NORWAY – Norsk akkreditering (NA)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification, Proficiency Testing Providers, Reference Material Producers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 252
Phone: + 47 64 84 86 00
akkreditert@akkreditert.no – www.akkreditert.no
SPAIN – Entidad Nacional de Acreditación (ENAC)
Status: Private
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification, Proficiency Testing Providers, Reference Material Producers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 1,866
Phone: + 34 91 457 3289
enac@enac.es – www.enac.es
SWEDEN – Swedish Board for Accreditation and Conformity Assessment (SWEDAC)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification, Proficiency Testing Providers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 1,396
Phone: + 46 771 99 09 00
registratort@swedac.se – www.swedac.se
SWITZERLAND – Swiss Accreditation Service (SAS)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA : Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 724
Phone: + 41 58 463 35 11
info@sas.ch – www.sas.admin.ch
THE NETHERLANDS – Raad voor Accreditatie (RvA)
Status: Private
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification, Proficiency Testing Providers, Reference Material Producers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 847
Phone: + 31 30 239 4500
contact@rva.nl – www.rva.nl
CROATIA – Croatian Accreditation Agency (HAA)
Status: Public
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 441
Phone: + 385 1 610 6322
akreditacija@akreditacija.hr – www.akreditacija.hr
CYPRUS – Cyprus Organization for the Promotion of Quality (CYS-CYSAB)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Inspection, Product certification
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 120
Phone: +357 22 409 353 / +357 22 409 310
aioannou@cys.mcit.gov.cy – www.cys.mcit.gov.cy
CZECH REPUBLIC – Czech Accreditation Institute (CAI)
Status: Public
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification, Proficiency Testing Providers, Reference Material Producers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 1,097
Phone: +420 272 096 222
mail@cai.cz – www.cai.cz
DENMARK – Den Danske Akkrediteringsfond (DANAK)
Status: Private
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification, Proficiency Testing Providers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 324
Phone: +45 77 33 95 00
danak@danak.dk – www.danak.org
ICELAND – Icelandic Board for Technical Accreditation (ISAC)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Inspection
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 12
Phone: +354 580 9400
isac@isac.is – www.isac.is
IRELAND – Irish National Accreditation Board (INAB)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Inspection
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 239
Phone: +353 1 6147152
inab@inab.ie – www.inab.ie
ISRAEL – Israel Laboratory Accreditation Authority (ISRAC)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Inspection
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 275
Phone: + 972 3 970 2727
www.israc.gov.il
ITALY – L’Ente Italiano di Accreditamento (ACCREDIA)
Status: Private
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification, Proficiency Testing Providers, Reference Material Producers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 2,636
Phone: +39 06 8440991
info@accredia.it – www.accredia.it
POLAND – Polskie Centrum Akredytacji (PCA)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification, Proficiency Testing Providers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 1,672
Phone: +48 22 355 70 00
sekretariat@pca.gov.pl – www.pca.gov.pl
PORTUGAL – Instituto Português de Acreditação, I.P. (IPAC)
Status: Public
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 856
Phone: +351 212 948 201
acredita@ipac.pt – www.ipac.pt
REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA – National Accreditation Center from Republic of Moldova (MOLDAC)
Status: Public
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Inspection
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 106
Phone: +373 22 210 316
acreditare@moldac.gov.md – www.acreditare.md
REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA Institute for Accreditation of the Republic of North Macedonia (IARNM)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Management Systems Certification, Product certification, Inspection
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 278
Phone: +389 (0)2 3293 080
vesna.georgievska@iarm.gov.mk – www.iarm.gov.mk
TUNISIA – Tunisian Accreditation Council (TUNAC)
Status: Public
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing, Management Systems Certification, Inspection
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 111
Phone: + 216 71 782 369
tunac@tunac.tn – www.tunac.tn
TÜRKIYE – Turkish Accreditation Agency (TURKAK)
Status: Governmental
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification, Proficiency Testing Providers, Reference Material Producers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 2,085
Phone: + 90 312 410 8200
turkak@turkak.org.tr – www.turkak.org.tr
UKRAINE – National Accreditation Agency of Ukraine (NAAU)
Status: Public
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing, Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 1,126
Phone: + 38 044 2866284
office@naau.org.ua – www.naau.org.ua
UNITED KINGDOM – United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS)
Status: Private
Activities under the EA MLA: Calibration, Testing and Medical examination, Product certification, Management Systems Certification, Certification of Persons, Inspection, Validation and Verification, Proficiency Testing Providers, Reference Material Producers
Number of accreditations under the EA MLA in 2022: 2,865
Phone: + 44 17 84 42 9000
info@ukas.com – www.ukas.com
Finances
FINANCES
ASSETS (€ X 1,000) |
2022 |
2023 |
| Fixed assets | 35 | 37 |
| Current assets | 990 | 709 |
| Liquid assets | 985 | 1,224 |
| Prepaid expenses and accrued income | 52 | 19 |
TOTAL |
2,062 |
1,989 |
LIABILITIES (€ X 1,000) |
||
| Reserves | 637 | 643 |
| Provisions for liabilities and charges | 47 | 54 |
| Payables | 678 | 592 |
| Accrued expenses and deferred income | 700 | 700 |
TOTAL |
2,062 |
1,989 |
EXPENDITURES (€ X 1,000) |
2022 |
2023 |
| Staff costs | 696 | 774 |
| Office rent and maintenance | 145 | 134 |
| Communications and publications | 65 | 74 |
| Other operating costs | 204 | 415 |
| Compensation of EA members’ activities | 410 | 270 |
| Reserves | 15 | 6 |
TOTAL |
1,535 |
1,673 |
INCOME (€ X 1,000) |
||
| Membership fees | 700 | 700 |
| Operating Grant EC/EFTA | 740 | 740 |
| Miscellaneous | 1 | 2 |
| Operanting Grant BCS | 94 | 231 |
TOTAL |
1,535 |
1,673 |
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT US:
European co-operation for Accreditation
75 avenue Parmentier 75 544 Paris Cedex 11
Tel: +33 1 40 21 24 62 – Fax: +33 1 40 21 24 00
www.european-accreditation.org – secretariat@european-accreditation.com
@EAaccreditation
european-accreditation