Amandine Combe
Marketing & Communications Manager
European co-operation for Accreditation

Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)

European Union (EU) law requires all large companies and medium-sized companies (except listed micro-enterprises) to disclose what they see as the risks and opportunities arising from social and environmental issues and the impact of their activities on people and the environment.

This helps investors, civil society organisations, consumers, and other stakeholders to evaluate the sustainability performance of companies, as part of the European Green Deal.

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive entered into force on the 5th of January 2023. This new EU legislation aims to accentuate the growing awareness of environmental, social, and governance factors (ESG factors). One means is moving the publication of information related to firms’ social and environmental responsibility from virtually voluntary to mandatory.

The auditing and reporting processes have been specified in the CSRD and now include the possibility of recognizing accredited conformity assessment bodies (CABs) as independent assurance services providers.

The basis for the recognition of CABs as per CSRD would be an accreditation as defined by Regulation (EC) No 765/2008.

For more information, click here.

Launch of the EA Communication Network

European co-operation for Accreditation (EA) Members approved the terms of reference for the EA Communication Network. The Communication Network will be a place for communications professionals to share experiences and good practices, learn new tools, and submit to peers any questions related to communications and marketing. All EA Members and recognized Stakeholders are welcome to participate in the new Communication Network.

A new EA Member and a new EA MLA signatory

San Marino Accreditation Service (SMAS), the National Accreditation Body of San Marino, fulfills the requirement set out in EA-1/17 S1 Criteria for Membership. SMAS became a new EA Member on the 25^th of May 2023.

ATCG, the National Accreditation Body of Montenegro, has been recognized as a new EA MLA signatory in the fields of testing (EN ISO/IEC 17025), including medical examination (EN ISO 15189), calibration (EN ISO/IEC 17025), inspection (EN ISO/IEC 17020), and Product Certification (EN ISO/IEC 17065).

Publication of three EA Reports

EA published three reports between May and July 2023:

• The EA MLA Report, with comprehensive information about the EA MLA for the period of 2022
• The EA Annual Report, in pdf and online for the first time, which highlights EA’s main activities for 2022
• The EA IAF/ILAC Regions Report for the period January-July 2023, with a complete update of EA peer evaluations and signatories of the EA MLA, as well as the major activities and developments in EA for the period

Approval of the Memorandum of Understanding on the European Quality Infrastructure

The General Assembly approved on the 25^th of May 2023 the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC), EA, European Association of National Metrology Institutes (EURAMET), and European Cooperation in Legal Metrology (WELMEC) on creating and implementing the European Quality Infrastructure. This MoU aims to create the European Ql Network, a partnership of regional quality infrastructure organizations that collaborate to strengthen the Quality Infrastructure in Europe.

Video on the EU Emission Trading System

EA released on the 4^th of May 2023 a video on the EU Emission Trading System (ETS) and the role of accreditation. The EU ETS is the first international emissions trading system. It was established in 2005 and remains the largest carbon market. It is a vital part of the EU policy to counteract climate change and a tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions cost-efficiently.

Click here to watch the video.