The EA technical committees met in September 2024, for the Autumn meetings, in Brussels, Belgium.

The Horizontal Harmonization Committee (HHC)

Gabriel Zrenner chaired its last HHC meeting and will leave starting from 2025 the chairmanship to the current Vice-Chair Kristina Hallman (SWEDAC, the Swedish National Accreditation Bodies), and her future Vice-Chair to Jenni Harjuoja (FINAS, the Finnish NAB). Gabriel Zrenner has tremendously shaped the HHC for the past 7 years. The good thing for EA is that he is joining the Executive Board.

DAkkS, the German NAB, presented its project on the digital accreditation symbol and AI Act standardization work. DAkkS was the first Accreditation Body worldwide to introduce a digital accreditation symbol as an electronic seal.

HHC members participated in a workshop on accreditation scopes in the Accreditation for Notification (AfN) area. The focus was on 4 major EU legislations (Construction Products Regulation (CPR), Pressure Equipment Directive (PED), Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and Machinery), discussing potential scope harmonization and its use in revising EA 2/17.

70 participants attended the meeting on 11-12 September. The next HHC meeting will be held in March 2025, in Brussels.

The Laboratory Committee (LC)

LC members participated in a workshop conducted by Belén Villamiel (ENAC, LC Vice-Chair) and Richard McFarlane (UKAS) on externally provided product and services/subcontracting, taking into account the level 3 accreditation standards under the LC responsibility:

  • ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Testing and Calibration Laboratories (Externally provided product and services);
  • ISO 15189:2022 Medical Laboratories (Externally provided product and services);
  • ISO/IEC 17043:2023 Proficiency Testing Provider (Externally provided product and services);
  • ISO 17034:2016 Reference Material Producers (Subcontracting);
  • ISO 20387:2018 Biobanking (Externally provided product and services).

64 participants attended the meeting on 18-19 September. The next LC meeting will be held in March 2025, in Bratislava.

The Certification Committee (CC)

Wolfram Hartmann (DAkkS) has been reelected as the CC Vice Chair, for his second term.

Members had extended discussions about questions asked by colleagues, and the answers will be published shortly on the EA website in the CC FAQ section.

A workshop on flexible scopes in certification will be organized in March 2025.

A resolution concerning the transitional arrangements for ISO 55001 – Asset management — Asset management system — Requirements will be put on the agenda of the EA General Assembly in November.

70 participants attended the meeting on 24-25 September. The next CC meeting will be held in March 2025, in Budapest.

The Inspection Committee (IC)

Marko Verbovsek, the IC Vice-Chair, stepped down and a new vice-chair is being approved within the Committee.

IC members continued to review the full list of questions/answers for publication in the IC FAQ section on the website.

Marek Wilgos (the IC Chair) presented the outcome of the survey on Crime Scene Investigation, which will be forwarded to the LC Chair  (Sergio Guzzi) to consider cooperation between IC and TN Forensics.

In 2022, ISO voted to revise ISO/IEC 17020:2012 Conformity Assessment – Requirements for operation of various types of bodies performing inspection. IC members discussed thoroughly the changes to be made in the future standard expected to be published in November 2025.

Members participated in a workshop on sampling, proficiency testing (PT), and interlaboratory comparisons (ILC) in inspection, and examined for instance the criteria that should be considered when analyzing the need to use of PT/ILC in an inspection activity.

60 NABs and stakeholders attended the Inspection Committee meeting on 26-27 September. The next IC meeting will be held in March 2025, in Budapest.