European co-operation for Accreditation (EA) Information

The European co-operation for Accreditation (EA) is an association of national accreditation bodies in Europe officially recognized by their national Governments to assess and accredit organizations that carry out conformity assessment services. EA was established in 1997 and appointed as the body responsible for the European Accreditation Infrastructure, according to the Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 which provides the legal basis for accreditation in Europe. The accreditation process determines the technical competence and integrity of organizations that offer testing, examination, validation and verification, inspection, calibration, certification, and proficiency testing provision services (collectively known as conformity assessment). Accreditation operates in the public interest across all market sectors, providing a transparent and impartial assessment of these services against internationally recognized standards and other requirements. EA facilitates acceptance of accredited certificates and reports on the European and global markets through its Multilateral Agreement (EA MLA). The EA MLA is based on a peer evaluation process, which is overseen by the European Commission in cooperation with the Member States. Accreditation bodies are evaluated against Regulation (EC) No 765/2008, the international standard ISO/IEC 17011, and other relevant standards and related criteria. The EA MLA provides a framework to realize the objective “Accredited once, accepted everywhere”, through a network of conformity assessment bodies that are competent within their scope of accreditation to issue statements of conformity for products and services, thereby reducing costs, adding value to business and consumers, and contributing to the freedom of trade by eliminating technical barriers. The EA MLA is recognized at the international level by ILAC and IAF. These recognitions give international recognition to accreditation delivered by the EA MLA signatory members of ILAC/IAF.