The EA MLA is recognised at international level by ILAC (International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation) and IAF (International Accreditation Forum). This means that a test report or certificate accredited by an EA MLA signatory is also recognised by the signatories to the IAF and ILAC multilateral agreements. In this way, the EA MLA acts as an international passport to trade.

Marks for international recognition of accreditation

IAF and ILAC have developed marks which can be used by their member accreditation bodies and their conformity assessment bodies under specific conditions set out in a licence agreement.

The IAF and ILAC marks demonstrate:

• the signatory status to the ILAC/IAF arrangement;
• that the test report or certificate has been issued by a body accredited by a member of the ILAC/IAF arrangement. As such, it can be recognised and accepted by any of the signatories of these arrangements.

For Accreditation Bodies located outside the EU or EFTA, signing a bilateral agreement with EA under the conditions applicable to EA MLA signatories gives access to the European market to products tested by conformity assessment bodies accredited by these non EU or EFTA accreditation bodies. It enables recognition of test, certification and inspection results at the European market thus facilitating export and trade between Europe and non-European countries.

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