EA renewed the cooperation agreement with CEN (the European Committee for Standardisation) and CENELEC (the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation), first signed in 2009 and renewed in 2016.

Signed on 25 August 2020, this three-year renewal will contribute to the continued strength and consistency of the development and review of standards for accreditation and conformity assessment in support of the EU New Legislative Framework (NLF), and thus the overall functioning of the European Quality Infrastructure.

CEN and CENELEC are two European Standardisation Organizations (ESOs) whose mission is to produce European standards, thus removing barriers to trade and fostering the European economy, the welfare of European citizens and the environment.

CEN and CENELEC develop and maintain standards for accreditation and conformity assessment purposes that are referenced in the EU Official Journal under Regulation (EC) No 765/2008, for the use of harmonised standards in support of the NLF and sectoral certification schemes, in accordance with Art. 10 of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012.

EA and CEN-CENELEC agree to regularly exchange relevant information on matters of common interest, especially regarding developments in the market where accreditation and standardisation are both concerned. For this purpose, they participate in the relevant advisory and technical groups of the respective organisations:

  • EA representatives take an active part in CEN and CENELEC activities, in particular as a permanent observer to the Joint Technical Committee 1 on “Criteria for conformity assessment bodies”;
  • CEN and CENELEC appointed Enda Mc Donnell, CEN Board Member and Director of Standards & Metrology National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI), as CEN-CENELEC representative to the EA Advisory Board (the EAAB is the main forum for relations with stakeholders and advises EA on a broad range of political and strategic issues).

For further information, please visit the following websites:

https://www.cencenelec.eu/News/Brief_News/Pages/TN-2020-043.aspx

https://european-accreditation.org/about-ea/who-are-we/#european-quality-infrastructure