In 2024, we faced the growing challenge of aligning EA’s capacity with the increasing number of regulations designating accreditation as the preferred means of conformity assessment. While the diversity among EA Members is one of our greatest strengths, it also highlights disparities in capabilities when addressing emerging sectors. In 2024, EA successfully concluded the Strategy 2025, where harmonisation, cooperation, innovation and good governance were central to EA’s development. Digitalisation and AI represent opportunities to improve the collaboration, while facilitating the evolution of EA Members.

EA Members must join forces to share expertise, resources, and assessors, ensuring that accreditation can be effectively extended to all new areas of regulation. Beyond this, EA Members must actively continue to contribute to EA’s working groups, partnering with the European Commission to safeguard accreditation’s position as the preferred means of demonstrating conformity, competence, and impartiality.

EA stands for European co-operation for accreditation. While harmonization will always remain a cornerstone of our mission, it’s now time in 2025 to reinforce and emphasize on cooperation to shape future EU regulations, their implementation, and the future of Europe.

Dr Andreas Steinhorst, Executive Secretary