§6.7.2 The impact on trade relations in the field of conformity assessment between the EU and Third Countries

The ultimate acceptance of conformity assessment attestations is decided by the public authorities in the regulatory sphere and, from an economic point of view, by industry users and consumers. The voluntary multilateral mutual recognition agreements between accreditation bodies taking place at technical level support, further develop and enhance trade agreements. The requirements set out above affect the acceptance of non-European certificates and test results accredited by non-European accreditation bodies not complying with EU requirements but signatories to the ILAC/IAF MRA/MLA in the following way: — Conformity assessment delivered in the voluntary sphere It is up to the non-European conformity assessment body operating on the European market to decide if and where to get accredited. In order to boost the acceptance of its conformity assessment attestations by the European market (industry as purchasers of conformity assessment services and ultimately consumers) the non-European conformity assessment body opting for accreditation may choose whether to resort to the service of a third country accreditation body not necessarily conforming to the new European requirements but signatory to the ILAC/IAF MRA/MLA or rather to that of an accreditation body established in the Union. Non-European conformity assessment attestations issued under accreditation by non- European accreditation bodies not fulfilling European requirements can continue to be used on the European market but only in the voluntary sphere. — Conformity assessment delivered in the mandatory sphere Where conformity assessment is required in regulations, national authorities of EU Member States may refuse to accept attestations of conformity issued under accreditation by non-European accreditation bodies not complying with the EU requirements even though they may be signatories to the ILAC/IAF MRA/MLA. However, where government-to-government Mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) between the Union and a third country in relation to conformity assessment are in place, national authorities of EU Member States shall accept the test reports and certificates issued by bodies that the foreign party has designated under the MRA for assessing conformity in the categories of products or sectors covered by the MRA. The products accompanied by such conformity attestations can be exported and placed on the other party’s market without undergoing additional conformity assessment procedures. Each importing party agrees, by the terms of the MRA, to recognise the conformity assessment attestations issued by agreed conformity assessment bodies of the exporting party, independently of whether accreditation has been used to back up the designation process of the conformity assessment bodies under the MRA or not, and independently of, in case accreditation is used by the non-European Party, the fulfilment by the third Party accreditation body of the EU requirements.

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