The EA Multilateral Agreement (MLA), signed so far by 43 EA Members, has been succeeding in overcoming the consequences of the pandemic year such as the postponement of several peer evaluations from 2020 to 2021. Eight postponed peer evaluations, i.e. about one third of those peer evaluations carried out in 2021, were performed by end of June 2021.
These postponements resulted in a huge increase of the total number of peer evaluations performed in 2021. All the peer evaluations in 2021 were carried out remotely, and the MLA Council (MAC) continued resorting to electronic ballots for a remote decision-making process, in accordance with a new policy and procedure for remote peer evaluations during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been approved by the MAC in December 2021 and published in early 2022. During the sanitary crisis, everything has been made in compliance with the rules to maintain the necessary level of confidence in the EA peer-evaluation system, using the appropriate tools of remote peer-evaluation techniques and remote decision-making processes.
Thus the number of signatories for each scope of the EA MLA remains quite stable in 2021 compared to 2020, with an increase in the number of signatories for persons certification and reference materials production scopes.
At the international level, EA has been recognised by IAF (International Accreditation Forum) for the IAF MLA Level 4 Food Safety System Certification (FSSC) 22000 sub-scope in July 2021. The re-evaluation of EA by IAF/ILAC should begin by July 2022.
EA is also starting the process of extending its MLA for biobanking accreditation, for which a roadmap has been approved in 2021.
In 2022 when the pandemic is likely to become alleviated, the MAC should restart on-site peer evaluations, taking full advantage of the efforts made during the last two years by all those involved in the EA MLA system, i.e. members of the EA MAC and its Management Group, peer-evaluation teams and trainers, and especially the MAC Secretariat. I am very grateful for their outstanding commitment to having maintained the peer-evaluation system operational and preserving the EA MLA as a sustainable and flexible mechanism for ensuring European and International reliable equivalence and mutual acceptance of certificates and reports issued by accredited conformity assessment bodies. Saving the confidence in the public service that we provide is our vital role.
Maria Papatzikou (ESYD)
Chair of the Multilateral Agreement Council
To download the EA MLA Report: https://european-accreditation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/EA-MLA-report-2021.pdf