The meeting of the 27th ILAC General Assembly was held on the 13 and 15 of November 2023 in Montreal, Canada.   

The adopted resolutions from the ILAC 2023 General Assembly are now available here.

ILAC-P5:11/2023 – ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement: Scope and Obligations.
This document describes the elements of the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (hereinafter referred to as the Arrangement) for conformity assessment body accreditation covered by the Arrangement.

ILAC-P8:2023 – ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (Arrangement): Supplementary Requirements for the Use of Accreditation Symbols and for Claims of Accreditation Status by Accredited Conformity Assessment Bodies.
The requirements in this document have been developed to ensure a more uniform approach to the use of accreditation symbols and for the manner in which a CAB may refer to its accreditation status and make claims in relation to the ILAC MRA. 

ILAC-R6:11/2026 – Structure of the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement and Procedure for Expansion of the Scope of the ILAC Arrangement.
This document describes the structure of the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement as well as the steps to be used by ILAC to consider and approve new international accreditation programs for inclusion in the ILAC Arrangement.

P5 and P8 are available here and R6 is available here.

The signatory status of Standards Council of Canada (SCC), Canada, to the ILAC MRA has been extended to include the accreditation of Proficiency Testing Providers (ISO/IEC 17043).

The full list of signatories to the ILAC MRA is available from https://ilac.org/signatory-search/ .

ISO/CASCO has extended an invite to this webinar to anyone that is interested in ensuring quality and safety in a complex and digital world.

In this webinar: Conformity assessment building trust in a digital world, CASCO will address the assessment of increasingly complex and digitalized objects, processes, services and systems with the aim of providing assurance of quality and safety.

The webinar will take place on Tuesday, 21 November 2023, from 13:00 to 14:30 CET.

This webinar follows on from the CASCO Workshop on conformity assessment and digitalization, held as part of the 37^th CASCO Plenary in April 2023 however attendance at the April workshop is not a prerequisite to attending this webinar.

Click here to find out more about the event and to register.

If you missed the ITU Tutorial that included a presentation by Erik Øhlenschlæger​, ILAC AIC Chair, the background information and recording is now available here

This tutorial provides guidance for all stakeholders on the Testing Laboratories recognition procedure established by ITU, its benefits and the logistical details required for submitting an application for ITU recognition of a testing laboratory competent to test according to ITU-T Recommendations, in collaboration with existing accreditation bodies.

The ITU-T Guideline on Testing Laboratory Recognition procedure defines recognition criteria for TLs from laboratories that are accredited by an Accreditation Body (AB) that is a signatory to the ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for testing where the scope of accreditation contains ITU-T Recommendation(s).

ILAC published the ILAC Assessment Procedure in the field of Telecommunications​. This document was created in the framework of cooperation established under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), IAF and ILAC.

IAF and ILAC have released the fifth episode of our podcast, Accreditation Matters, which features discussions on Accreditation’s Vital Role in Shaping the Future of Sustainability.

In this episode, IAF Chair Emanuele Riva (Accredia) interviews the IAF Sustainability WG Co-convener Cesare Saccani (President of Diligentia Association) on how accreditation bodies support the credibility and reliability of sustainability claims in various sectors, including finance, public procurement, and international trade. The podcast also highlights the convergence of regulatory frameworks worldwide, emphasizing the need for a common standard to evaluate sustainability claims accurately.

Listen to the episode now on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts or Amazon Music, or watch it on YouTube.

The signatory status of Norsk akkreditering (NA), Norway, to the ILAC MRA has been extended to include Reference Materials Producers (ISO 17034).

The full list of signatories to the ILAC MRA is available from https://ilac.org/signatory-search/ .

The signatory status of Servicio de Acreditación Ecuatoriano (SAE), Ecuador, to the ILAC MRA has been extended to include Medical Testing (ISO 15189).

The full list of signatories to the ILAC MRA is available from https://ilac.org/signatory-search/ .

We welcome Federation for Development of Accreditation Services (FDAS), India, as a Full Member of ILAC.

As FDAS is a signatory to the APAC MRA for the accreditation of testing laboratories using ISO/IEC 17025 and calibration laboratories using ISO/IEC 17025, FDAS has been granted signatory status to the ILAC MRA and therefore, Full membership of ILAC. 

We welcome FDAS and look forward to working with our FDAS colleagues.

The full list of signatories to the ILAC MRA is available here.

EUROLAB is inviting members of the laboratory community to participate in the survey developed by EUROLAB to assess the level of digitalisation of laboratories.

As the laboratory of the future is driven by the fast-changing new technologies and by the high demands of customers, the survey aims to identify:

• the current status, updates and level of digitalisation within the laboratories.
• the needs and key challenges faced by laboratories when it comes to building up a sustainable strategy for the laboratory digitalisation.
• the next steps and topics that EUROLAB could consider to support its members and the entire laboratory community by sharing best practices, trainings, seminars, developing projects on the topics of the Lab of the Future.

Please provide your response to the survey by 15 September: https://forms.office.com/e/DmbCLVTbGg

The survey has been developed with the contribution of Kruno Miličević, coordinator of the Metroracle Project.

Any further questions please contact Laura Martin, EUROLAB Secretary General via laura.martin@eurolab.org