International cooperation and recognition

International cooperation LATAK has entered into cooperation agreements / arrangements with national accreditation bodies of Georgia, Belarus and Ukraine. The agreements provides framework for the exchange of information, to comply with requirements and principles of international accreditation organisations, to promote participation in programs of interlaboratory comparisons and joint experience exchange events. The aim of cooperation is to contribute to national economic development and international trade.

The European co-operation for Accreditation or EA is an association of national accreditation bodies in Europe that are officially recognised by their national Governments to assess and verify—against international standards—organisations that carry out evaluation services such as certification, verification, inspection, testing and calibration (also known as conformity assessment services).

Consumers, businesses, regulators and other organisations all over the world want to be able to trust and have confidence in the goods and services they buy and use. As a consequence, there has been a growth in specified national and international standards for products, processes and services. When applied correctly, these can make life safer, healthier and easier for everyone and can enable communication and trade, while allowing resources to be used more efficiently.

Organisations that check conformity and compliance against standards must have the technical competence and integrity to carry out these assessment services. If a supplier is accredited by one of the members in the EA network, its customers can have confidence in the competence, independence and impartiality of its conformity assessment work.

As the official guardian of the European accreditation infrastructure, EA has the overall strategic objective to safeguard the value and credibility of accredited conformity assessment services delivered by its Members and accredited conformity assessment bodies within the European market.

The MLA Multilateral Agreement faciliatating cross border trade in safe and reliable goods and services (2017) - brochure find here

EA as the European accreditation infrastructure

EA has been formally appointed as the body responsible for the European accreditation infrastructure in Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008, Article 14, paragraph 6.

In accordance with Article 14, paragraph 2 in this Regulation, an agreement has been concluded between EA and the European Commission (EC) to specify, inter alia, EA’s detailed tasks as well as funding and supervision provisions.

The role of accreditation in European legislation

Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 that, since 2008, provides a legal framework for the provision of accreditation services across Europe has been strengthening EA’s role in both voluntary and regulated sectors. The Regulation places an obligation on EU Member States to accept results issued by the conformity assessment bodies accredited by any of the EA MLA signatories.

EA MLA

The EA Multilateral Agreement (EA MLA) is a signed agreement between the EA Full Members whereby the signatories recognise and accept the equivalence of the accreditation systems operated by the signing members, and also the reliability of the conformity assessment results provided by conformity assessment bodies accredited by the signing members.

A Bilateral Agreement (BLA) between an EA Associate Member and EA has the same purpose and bilateral signatories to the EA MLA shall meet the same requirements as EA FULL Members.

The scopes of National accreditation institutions can be checked at the EA home page: http://www.european-accreditation.org/mla-and-bla-signatories

ILAC is the international organisation for accreditation bodies operating in accordance with ISO/IEC 17011 and involved in the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies including calibration laboratories (using ISO/IEC 17025), testing laboratories (using ISO/IEC 17025), medical testing laboratories (using ISO 15189), inspection bodies (using ISO/IEC 17020), proficiency testing providers (using ISO/IEC 17043) and reference material producers (using ISO 17034).

Accreditation is the independent evaluation of conformity assessment bodies against recognised standards to carry out specific activities to ensure their impartiality and competence. Through the application of national and international standards, government, procurers and consumers can have confidence in the calibration and test results, inspection reports and certifications provided.

Accreditation bodies are established in many economies with the primary purpose of ensuring that conformity assessment bodies are subject to oversight by an authoritative body. Accreditation bodies, that have been peer evaluated as competent, sign regional and international arrangements to demonstrate their competence. These accreditation bodies then assess and accredit conformity assessment bodies to the relevant standards.

And since June 8 2022 LATAK is a signatory of the ILAC MUTUAL RECOGNITION ARRANGEMENT : 

• Testing ISO/IEC 17025
• Testing ISO 15189
• Calibration ISO/IEC 17025 
• Inspection ISO/IEC 17020 

LATAK is a full member of IAF since 27 July 2022

Since September 3 2022 LATAK is a signatory of the MUTUAL RECOGNITION ARRANGEMENT :

• Product Certification – ISO/IEC 17065 (03 Sept 2022)
• Management Systems Certification – ISO/IEC 17021-1 (03 Sept 2022)
• Certification of Persons – ISO/IEC 17024 (03 Sept 2022)
• Validation and Verification – ISO 14065 (03 Sept 2022)

LATAK IAF MLA certificate

The International Accreditation Forum (IAF) is a worldwide association of accreditation bodies and other bodies interested in conformity assessment in the fields of management systems, products, processes, services, personnel, validation and verification and other similar programmes of conformity assessment.

LATAK is a full member of IAF since 27 July 2022

Since September 3 2022 LATAK is a signatory of the MUTUAL RECOGNITION ARRANGEMENT :

• Product Certification – ISO/IEC 17065 (03 Sept 2022)
• Management Systems Certification – ISO/IEC 17021-1 (03 Sept 2022)
• Certification of Persons – ISO/IEC 17024 (03 Sept 2022)
• Validation and Verification – ISO 14065 (03 Sept 2022)

The purpose of the document is to determine the cross-border accreditation policy of the State Agency “Latvian National Accreditation Bureau” (hereinafter - the Agency) in accordance with the regulatory enactments of the Republic of Latvia and the European Union, as well as in the standard LVS EN ISO / IEC 17011: 2017 “Conformity assessment. Requirements for Accreditation Bodies Accrediting Conformity Assessment Bodies” and documents of international organizations.

The document shall be binding on the Agency 's employees, including technical experts/ assessors and parties involved in the performance of the Agency's functions and tasks, as well as on the parties concerned.

In performing its functions, tasks and objectives, the Agency shall continuously monitor aspects of cross-border accreditation, including the assessment of existing capacity to maintain new cross-border accreditations.

The Agency is aware of the importance of cross-border accreditation in the performance of its functions, both in terms of the full maintenance of cross-border accreditation and cross-border cooperation.

The Agency's activities in the framework of cross-border accreditation are monitored by the European Co-operation for Accreditation through mutual evaluation of the European Co-operation for Accreditation to maintain its status as a signatory to the Multilateral Agreement (MLA) and its international recognition.

The cross-border accreditation policy is essential when implementing accreditation procedures if the conformity assessment body (hereinafter - the Body) conducts business (has registered or performing activities) outside the territory of the Republic of Latvia in order to ensure the implementation of internationally recognized and reliable accreditation services.

The Agency shall implement a cross-border accreditation policy in accordance with:

• Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 Amending Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 setting out the requirements for accreditation and market surveillance relating to the marketing of products and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 2377/90 339/93 ('Regulation No 765/2008'),
• In the Law “On Conformity Assessment” ,
• Cabinet Regulation No. 754 of 19 December 2023 “Regulations on the Assessment, Accreditation and Supervision of Conformity Assessment Institutions”,
• EA -2/13 “EA Cross Border Accreditation Policy and Procedure for Cross Border Cooperation between EA Members” ( hereinafter EA-2 / 13),
• International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation Document ILAC- G21 “Cross-Frontier Accreditation - Principles for Cooperation” ( hereinafter - ILAC-G21).

When accrediting the Body that is established (registered or operating) in another country outside the Republic of Latvia, the Agency shall comply with the following:

In accordance with Section 14, Paragraph one, Clause 4 of the Law “On Conformity Assessment”, one of the functions of the Agency is to co-operate with the national accreditation bodies of other countries.

Pursuant to Paragraph 3 of Cabinet Regulation No. 754 of 19 December 2023 “Regulations on Assessment, Accreditation and Supervision of Conformity Assessment Institutions”, the Agency shall assess, accredit, and supervise in the Bodies in accordance with Regulation No. 765/2008.

Within the framework of cross-border accreditation, the Agency shall, inter alia, respect and implement cooperation with accreditation bodies in other countries to the extent specified in the European Accreditation Cooperation Document EA-2/13 and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation Document ILAC-G21, maintaining documentary evidence in the framework of peer evaluation.

Applications for accreditation of the Body shall be considered by accreditation authority of the State in which the Body is established.

The Agency does not promote or offer accreditation services in countries where accreditation authorities are internationally recognized within the framework of the European Co-operation for Accreditation (EA), the International Laboratory Accreditation (ILAC) or the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

The Agency may consider providing accreditation services for the Bodies established in another country, if there is a Regulation conditions specified in Paragraph 6, Paragraph 3 of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 or in Paragraph 2 of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation Document ILAC-G21. In the event of a change in the above circumstances, the Agency shall transfer the accreditation to the relevant national accreditation authority in accordance with the principles set out in the European Accreditation Cooperation Document EA-2/13 and the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation Document ILAC-G21.

When examining an application for accreditation or carrying out other accreditation-related procedures, the Agency shall keep the accreditation authority in the country in which the Body is established informed and cooperate with that national accreditation authority as an observer; if necessary, the Agency may request the accreditation authority of another country to carry out part of the assessment activities of the Bodies. In carrying out these assessment activities (including the assessment of practical activities), the Agency shall subcontract to a national accreditation authority the implementation of accreditation-related procedures.

The Agency shall comply with Paragraph 6.2. Regulation 765/2008 and does not compete with accreditation authorities in other countries.

Latvijas Nacionālās akreditācijas institūcijas notifikācija Eiropas Komisijai

On July 9, 2009 the European Commission passed several new legislative enactments in the area of conformity assessment; these have been called the “New legislative framework” and were created on the basis of the existing practice and enhance application of legislation and its implementation in the domestic EU market. The new legislative package includes the following legislative enactments:

- REGULATION (EC) NO 765/2008 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 9 July 2008 setting out the requirements for accreditation and market surveillance relating to the marketing of products and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 339/93

- REGULATION (EC) NO 768/2008  OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 9 July on a common framework for the marketing of products and repealing Council Decision (EEC) 93/465

- REGULATION (EC) NO 764/2008 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 9 July 2008 laying down procedures relating to the application of certain national technical rules to products 

Regulation (EC) 765/2008 lays down the key requirements for national accreditation bodies of EU member states. According to section 12, clause (2) of the Regulation, structural unit of LLC „Standartisation, accreditation and metrology centre” Latvian National Accreditation Bureau is notified to the European Commission as the National Accreditation Body of the Republic of Latvia.

Information - EC NANDO database.