Accreditation of testing and certification bodies

Contact: Corado Mattiuzzo (mattiuzzo@kan.de)

The elimination of barriers to trade is essential if the European Single Market is to function properly. The free movement of goods within the European Union can be impaired by differences in the regulations and in the testing, certification and surveillance procedures from one country to another. Accreditation of testing and certification bodies plays a key role in this respect. In order to overcome the current differences in (national, European or international) accreditation procedures, it is extremely important that international standards be developed further and applied consistently in this area. It must be ensured, however, that such standards do not contravene corresponding requirements imposed by European Single Market directives.

For further information on this subject, see: