Laboratory authorization versus accreditation in transitional economies: Case study of Serbia

Abstract

Many CEE governments are still using various systems of laboratory authorization together with ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory accreditation. It is difficult to understand from the EU prospective, the existence of two parallel laboratory competence verification systems. The basic relations between laboratory accreditation and authorization: independence and succession have been defined. The case study of testing laboratory accreditation versus authorization in Serbia, has been presented and discussed. Relevant requests and procedures for water quality, food and air quality testing laboratory authorization were analysed in detail. Comparative analyses of accreditation and authorization have established: (i) independent relations, (ii) relevant regulation is in collision and barely legal, (iii) authorization is (technically) on the far lower level than accreditation is, and (iv) authorization requests cause high space and personnel costs. It has been concluded that it is not adequate to perform two policies at the same time: one EU oriented - laboratory accreditation, and one non-EU oriented - laboratory authorization. The policy proposal is that all CEE countries should abandon existing laboratory authorization procedures and replace them by accreditation. Proposed goal could be reached in rather a short transition process of 2-3 years.