EA, the European co-operation for Accreditation, is the association of National Accreditation Bodies (NABs), recognised by the European Commission as the European Accreditation Infrastructure.

EA also was affected from the Brexit and that the United Kingdom (UK) left the European Union (EU). After the Brexit, the National Accreditation Body of the UK (UKAS) does not meet anymore the EA membership criteria as set out in the Articles of Association (AoA) and consequently would have to leave EA. Therefore, the General Assembly decided in May 2020 that UKAS shall remain an EA Full Member until 31 January 2022. During this transition period EA would analyse together with UKAS the results of the negotiation between the EU and the UK and then revise the EA membership criteria.

EA started already intensive discussions beginning of 2020 with the aim to establish the best appropriate membership categories, which would allow not only UKAS to remain a member of EA but also other European National Accreditation Bodies, which are not yet members of EA, to become a member of EA.

Important in this context is that the membership criteria set out in EA-1/17 S1 shall not be changed and shall continue to apply to all members.

Furthermore, the specific role of EA as the European Accreditation Infrastructure as set out in Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 on accreditation shall be maintained in the membership categories and the related responsibilities.

The solution in this discussion was to introduce the Council of Europe as another “country” category, meaning that NABs coming from a member state of the Council of Europe shall be entitled to become an EA member, with the condition that the NAB meets the membership criteria as set out in EA-1/17 S1.

The General Assembly approved at its meeting on 24 November 2021 the new membership categories and accordingly the new Articles of Association.

Pursuant to the new Articles of Association an EA member shall be a NAB legally appointed by its government in:

  • a member state of the EU, or
  • a member state of EFTA, or
  • a country which has been identified by the EU or EFTA as a candidate country for membership in the EU or EFTA, or
  • a member state of the Council of Europe, or
  • a country identified by the EU in the European Commission’s Neighbourhood Policy as a country of particular importance.

Combined with EA’s objectives, the new membership categories reflect that EA exists to serve as a co-operative network of European National Accreditation Bodies for the furtherance of equivalence, transparency, consistency and efficiency of harmonised accreditation operated throughout Europe.

The new AoA came into effect end of November 2021 and can be downloaded here. Currently, the EA governance and policy documents as well as the EA website and brochures are being revised in order to align with the new AoA.