§6.5.2 Peer evaluation

One of the most important tasks of EA is the organisation of the peer evaluation system of national accreditation bodies, which is the cornerstone of the European accreditation system. National accreditation bodies undergo peer evaluations of their systems, procedures and structures at a maximum of four year intervals. The aim of the peer evaluation system is to ensure consistency and equivalence of accreditation practices across Europe so that the wider market place, including the national public authorities (272), mutually recognise the services delivered by those bodies that have successfully passed the peer evaluation, and therefore accept the accreditation certificates and the attestations issued by the conformity assessment bodies accredited by them. EA provides an appropriate training system to ensure the coherence of peer evaluation activities and results across Europe. Successful peer evaluation allows a national accreditation body to sign the EA Multilateral Agreement, or to maintain signature status. Under the EA Multilateral Agreement, all signatories are obliged to recognise the equivalence of each other’s accreditation systems and the equal reliability of the attestations issued by the conformity assessment bodies accredited by them. The peer evaluation system is operated at several levels. First of all national accreditation bodies have to meet the requirements of the harmonised standard EN ISO/IEC 17011 ‘Conformity assessment – General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies’ and the requirements of the Regulation which are not contained in the international accreditation body standard – these are namely the principles of one national accreditation body acting as public authority, non- commerciality and non-competition. Accreditation bodies then have to demonstrate that they are capable and competent to carry out accreditation in the different fields of conformity assessment serviced by them. These activities are themselves determined by a number of harmonised standards (such as EN ISO/IEC 17025 for testing and calibration laboratories, EN ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection bodies or EN ISO/IEC 17065 for bodies certifying products, services and processes). In addition, peer evaluators have to make sure that the accreditation body takes into account any other requirements in its assessments, which are relevant for the specific conformity assessment activities to be carried out by the bodies which they accredit. These may be the specific requirements contained in conformity assessment schemes, including European and national schemes.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-09-07