Background documents

General policy documents

• Implementing policy for external trade in the fields of standards and conformity assessment: a tool box of instruments - Commission Working Paper SEC(2001) 1570 of 28/09/2001 [108 KB]  
• Implementation of the Council Resolution of 24 June 1999 on the management of agreements on mutual recognition - Council Conclusions, OJ C 8 of 11/01/2001
• Community external trade policy in the fields of standards and conformity assessment - Commission Communication COM(96) 564 final of 13/11/1996

Texts of MRAs

• Australia: OJEC L 229 of 17/08/1998
• Canada: OJEC L 280 of 16/10/1998   
• Israel: OJEC L 263 of 9/10/1999
• Japan: OJEC L 284 of 29/10/2001
• New Zealand: OJEC L 229 of 17/08/1998
• Switzerland: OJEC L 114 of 30/04/2002
• United States: OJEC L 31 of 04/02/1999

Guidance documents & references of regulations

• Conformity assessment guides for EC designating authorities, EC conformity assessment bodies and european industry relating to Australia and New Zealand, Canada and the USA
• Guide on the mutual recognition agreement between the EC and Japan
• Lists of EU notified bodies and MRA conformity assessment bodies under the new approach directives are also available on the NANDO website. The lists include the identification number of each notified body/conformity assessment body as well as the tasks for which it has been notified 
• Accreditation and the community's policy in the field of conformity assessment
  Document Certif. 97/4 rev.2 of 15.12.1997 [56 KB]
• Code of conduct for the functioning of the system of notified bodies
  Document Certif. 97/1 Rev. 3 of 17.07.1998 [27 KB]
• Framework for coordination and cooperation between notified bodies, Member States and the European Commission under the community harmonisation directives based on the new approach and the global approach
  Document Certif. 94/6 Rev. 6 of 20.02.1998 [52 KB]  
• Implementation of Mutual Recognition Agreements on conformity assessment (MRA) and Protocol on European Conformity Assessment (PECA)
  Document Certif. 98/7 of 24.07.1998 [47 KB]
• Procedure for designation of conformity assessment bodies under an MRA and its annexes
  Document Certif. 96/3 Rev. 6 of 14.06.2001 [44 KB]
• Specifications concerning assessment and supervision of systems applying to Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) with a view to their designation under MRAs
  Document Certif. 96/1 of 26.06.1996 [22 KB]
• The EN 45000 series of standards and the conformity assessment procedures of the global approach
  Document Certif. 97/5 of 24.03.1998 [57 KB]
• The EN 45000 standards, accreditation and notification of notified bodies
  Document Certif. 98/4 of 25.03.1998 [31 KB]