The EA Vice-Chair, Geir Samuelsen from NA, the Norwegian national accreditation body, is leaving EA on 27 January 2017 after having participated in his last EA Executive Committee.
Destined for a new position as Director General of the Norwegian Metrology Service, Geir Samuelsen, Director General of Norwegian Accreditation (NA), vacated his position as the EA Vice-Chair at the EA General Assembly in November 2016 in Borås, Sweden.
When taking part in the EA Executive Committee held this week in Frankfurt, he kindly accepted to say a few words about the latest achievements made by EA and EA’s projections for the future:
“During these last three years, I have had the great privilege to be the EA Vice-Chair. In the accreditation community, this is considered a short time, but looking back, many things which will impact on the future of EA have happened.
I believe that sufficient general resources are vital for EA to provide necessary services to its members. Besides, even a membership organisation cannot rely too heavily on volunteers. People having the requested skills and abilities are already very busy.
EA Members depend on the EA Secretariat to fulfil our common commitments, in particular to facilitate the development and daily running of the organisation and its various committees. One major step to strengthen the Secretariat was the decision to employ an Executive Secretary. Andreas Steinhorst’s role as the EA high-level official contributing to numerous meetings and discussions, notably with the European Commission, has been turning out to be most effective – and a good choice. This also makes it easier to combine the EA Vice-Chair’s responsibilities, and to some degree the EA Chair’s ones, with their other national duties.
EA is now in an auspicious situation, with a brand-new strategy to be implemented. Both EA Members’ broad involvement in developing the EA Strategy 2025, and indeed the great results achieved, are promising when it comes to implementation. My very last EA activity was to attend the 106th meeting of the Executive Committee in Frankfurt, where our discussions on the Strategy’s implementation plan made me confident that it will take EA many steps in the right direction in a relatively short time.
EA-Member national accreditation bodies have a strong mandate and play an important part in the European quality infrastructure. EA holds it together. When preparing for the future, EA shall remember to stay relevant. If accreditation does not work, alternatives will be found. To a great extent, this is up to us.
As I said in Borås, it has been a true pleasure to work with you in this great and important cooperation. I will never forget my EA years, and I will never forget my EA friends!”
EA is most grateful to Geir Samuelsen for his convincing involvement as the EA Vice-Chair since 2014, and for having contributed to the building of EA’s future.