Accredia / Other activities / International projects

International projects

The global network of accreditation

Accredia is a signatory member of the international network of accreditation bodies, taking part in processes for the harmonization of European procedures and the strengthening of national quality infrastructures.

Accredia is a member of the international accreditation organizations, EA (European Accreditation) in Europe, and IAF (International Accreditation Forum) worldwide, and ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation) and Accredia is signatory to the International Agreements of Mutual Recognition.

Accredia participates at General Assemblies, in the many committees, including Harmonization, Certification, Inspection, Laboratory, Marketing and Communication, as well as the workshops in the sectors of Environment, Food, Testing, Calibrationand Proficiency testing.

As required by EA, Accredia takes part in Peer Evaluations at other accreditation bodies using its assessors who, following qualification, are registered on the list of EA assessors.

European best practices

Together with other accreditation bodies and EU bodies, Accredia is committed to the development of best practices and consistent procedures with regard to accreditation at all levels.

Breast Cancer Service

Under the guidance of Accredia, in the ambit of the European Commission Initiative on Breast Cancer (ECIBC), coordinated by the Joint Research Center (JRC) in Ispra, Italy, a team of accreditation experts has defined the accreditation standards for medical and image diagnosis laboratories as well as the rules for the certification of breast care centers.

Occupational health and safety

An international working group of experts, under Accredia’s guidance, has drawn up a mandatory document IAF-MD 22:2018 “Application of ISO/IEC 17021-1 for the Certification of Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OH&SMS)”, intended to guarantee a harmonized approach to the accreditation of ISO 45001 certifications, issued by certification bodies worldwide.

EU programmes

The Twinning and Taiex projects are among the many EU projects in which Accredia participates. They are financed by the EU Commission, with the task of increasing knowledge regarding accreditation and conformity assessment, product safety and market surveillance, in order to facilitate international commercial exchanges.

Although Accredia is a private legal entity, it is recognized by the European Commission as a Mandated Body, whereby it is assimilated to a public administrative body and it can take part in tenders for contracts for providing technical assistance for beneficiary countries of the Twinning and Taiex projects.

Twinning

Twinning is one of the chief instruments used by the EU for cooperation in the development of various countries, with the participation also of the Public Authorities and Mandated Bodies of member states in support of the beneficiaries for the implementation of administrative structures and the strengthening of institutions, in line with EU policies.

Taiex

Taiex is the EU Commission’s instrument of technical assistance and institution-building for non-EU countries, with the aim of providing assistance in the correct interpretation of EU legislation, and the implementation of EU standards and rules and for their application within the context of the national normative context.