EA Statement on continuing recognition of UKAS under the EA MLA – 27^th January 2021

As signatory to the EA MLA the accreditation system operated by UKAS continues to be accepted by the other signatories as equivalent to their own accreditation system and declare, when requested, conformity assessment results (e.g. reports or certificates) issued by CABs accredited by UKAS for the relevant scope to the EA MLA, to the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (ILAC MRA) and to the IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (IAF MLA) as reliable as those issued by CABs accredited by themselves.

The EA Statement on continuing recognition of UKAS under the EA MLA can be downloaded here.

 

Acceptance of Conformity Assessment results – Relation between the CE Mark and UKCA Mark (8^th December 2021)

Different organisations, including Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs), are asking whether results from the UKCA Marking scheme can be used for issuing certificates (as a Notified Body (NB)) for the CE Marking system.

The EA working group on Accreditation for Notification (WG AfN) has discussed this matter and coordinated its position with the European Commission. The result can be summarized as follows:

1. There is no equivalence between the UKCA Marking scheme and the CE Marking system. Thus CABs (NBs) cannot base their decisions and certifications in any way on the results and certificates originating from the UKCA Marking scheme.

2. If single tests are carried out according to international (and harmonized) technical standards by accredited laboratories based in the UK, these can be used by CABs (NBs) only if they have the competence themselves and “endorse” these tests by assessing the results and validating the reports.

The full EA Communication on the ‘Acceptance of Conformity Assessment results – Relation between the CE Mark and UKCA Mark’ can be downloaded here.

 

Acceptance of test results provided by a Laboratory accredited in the United Kingdom under the EU Construction Product Regulation (17^th June 2022)

Considering the EA Communiqué dated 8^th December 2021, there is no equivalence between the UKCA Marking scheme and the CE Marking system. Thus Conformity Assessment Bodies (Notified Bodies) cannot base their decisions and certifications in any way on the results and certificates originating from the UKCA Marking scheme.

In addition, EA has identified specific issues linked to the Construction Products Regulation (CPR).

Should it be concluded that the accredited Notified Body/Laboratory for CPR system 3 shall not reissue under its own accreditation a testing report containing the results delivered by the UK Approved Body (Laboratory) and not performed by its own?

Would it be acceptable that a customer transfers directly to the EU Notified Body for the CPR system 3 accredited test results provided by an EA MLA accredited laboratory, for inclusion in the accredited report to be issued by the EU Notified Body, without any formal subcontracting between the accredited EU Notified Body and the EA MLA accredited laboratory?

The related EA Communication, including the answers, can be downloaded here.