Accreditation means the formal recognition of authority to execute a specific service as described in the scope of accreditation.
Competence is the key to transparency, confidence and comparability.
Therefore, accreditation is a means to establish confidence, which allows authorities, industry and society to judge, if testing, inspection or certification bodies fulfill specific tasks with high reliability. With the creation of the single European market, the means to establish confidence has gained in importance. The strategy developed within the framework of Global Approach for the testing and conformity assessment of products and services and aiming the elimination of technical barriers to trade, can only increase its efficiency, if confidence in testing and conformity assessment bodies exists. Accreditation as a means to establish confidence also fulfills an important task for the single European market, in keeping up an efficient and competent testing and conformity assessment infrastructure, and in seeing to its transparency. The international accreditation organizations ILAC , IAF and EA as well as the SAS itself, have established a series of guides, which support applicants, accreditation bodies and also SAS auditors with the application of the branch relevant standards.