Mutual recognition on conformity assessment urgently needed

Ahead of the upcoming EU-UK Summit on 19 May 2025, 19 EU and UK industry associations have joined forces to call for the rapid conclusion of a Mutual Recognition Agreement on Conformity Assessment (MRACA), highlighting it as a tangible, beneficial step forward to ease mutual market access and boost trade, investment and growth.

The agreement would deliver substantial mutual benefits such as:

• Lower compliance costs by slashing the unnecessary duplication of conformity assessments for EU and UK businesses that trade in both markets, in particular for export-driven small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
• Boost business and investment confidence by strengthening stability, predictability and legal certainty in the EU-UK regulatory framework.
• Improving access for businesses to EU and UK conformity assessment expertise and services.

United by the shared vision to maximise ease and efficiency of market access, EU and UK business organisations met in February to discuss practical steps forward to reduce technical barriers to EU-UK trade and reduce administrative and bureaucratic hurdles. As part of this process, the rapid conclusion of an MRACA was identified as the most promising practical deliverable, particularly since such an MRACA can:

• Formally be delivered outside the scope of the EU-UK TCA (Trade and Cooperation Agreement) – either as a standalone ‘mini deal’ or together with other industry-focused measures.
• Start with an initial agreement limited to specific sectors and subsequently be expanded and scaled up over time.
• Easily be pursued thanks to the multilateral agreement that governs European cooperation on accreditation matters. Thanks to this agreement, the UK Accreditation Body UKAS and EU Member State Accreditation Bodies are assessed by the same requirements. This will facilitate the technical recognition of equivalence of accredited conformity assessment.