The European co-operation for Accreditation (EA) held its second General Assembly of the year in Estoril, Portugal, on 20-21 November 2024.

Sólveig Ingólfsdóttir, Director, and Guðrún Rögnvaldardóttir, Senior Officer, attended the meeting on behalf of ISAC.

In addition to the usual General Assembly activities, two issues were the most important in the discussions at the meeting.

One issue was the rapid increase in the number of directives and regulations of the European Union in which accreditation has a role to play. Such acts, already in force or under preparation, now number around 140. It was stated that there is a need for closer cooperation between EA and its members on one hand and the European Commission and Member States‘ authorities on the other, in order to ensure that accreditation is always used correctly and efficiently.

The other issue was the use of artificial intelligence, both in the accreditation process itself and in conformity assessment procedures. This use is rapidly growing and there was a clear desire among the participants to establish a platform within the EA where accreditation bodies can compare their practices and share experiences with each other on these issues. The EA Executive Board was tasked with making proposals for such a platform for the next General Assembly, to be held in Istanbul in May 2025.