Dr. Thomas Facklam takes on the role as head of the European Accreditation System

Dr. Thomas Facklam takes the chair of the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA). The EA General Meeting unanimously elected the 59-year-old as their future Chairman at the meeting held in Bratislava today. He thus succeeds in the footsteps of the British Graham Talbot who steps down from the chair of EA at the end of the year after three years in office.

After his election Facklam said: “Accreditation is gaining ground throughout Europe as an instrument to confirm competence. I therefore consider it to be a particular challenge to consolidate and expand the important role of EA within the European infrastructure.”

Norbert Barz, Managing Director of the German Accreditation Body DAkkS declared: “The Accreditation System makes an important contribution towards reducing trade barriers and towards enhancing the safety of products and services in global trade. With Dr. Thomas Facklam a proven expert heads the European Accreditation System who will push the great and growing importance of accreditations with competence and commitment for industry and consumers internationally”.

EA is the networking of national accreditation bodies in Europe. The European Commission transferred important tasks to EA in the scope of the Regulation (EC) No. 765/2008. The latter particularly include the harmonisation and on-going development of the accreditation system in Europe and guarantee the quality, transparency and independence of this system. By means of a multilateral agreement (EA MLA) EA supports mutual recognition of accreditation services throughout the world.

Dr. Thomas Facklam sees the focus of his future work as Chairman in continuing the structural development of EA as organisation and in further strengthening the good co-operation with the European Commission. “The aim is to support accreditations as basis of notifications. When working out European legal fundamentals with conformity assessment aspects we would like to promote accreditation at an early stage as the favoured evidence of competence“, Facklam stated.

About Dr. Thomas Facklam
The Doctor of Electrical Engineering, Thomas Facklam, brings along some twenty years of experience gained in the accreditation sector to satisfy his task as EA Chairman. He was the Chief Executive Director of the Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH (DAkkS) for two years up to end 2011. Formerly he managed the TGA GmbH for 17 years as Chief Executive Director, until it was usurped by DAkkS at end 2009 by the reorganisation of the German accreditation system.

Dr. Thomas Facklam has committed himself for a long time on the national, European and international level in the sector of accreditation and of conformity evaluations harmonisation. From 2002 to 2009 he was the Chairman of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF). In May 2011 he was re-elected by the EA General Meeting as Chairman of the Multilateral Agreement Council (EA MAC) and has been holding this function ever since for DAkkS. He is furthermore engaged as executive in numerous national and international standards committees and work groups.

About the German Accreditation Body DAkkS
DAkkS (Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH) is the national accreditation body of the Federal Republic of Germany. As independent body it assesses, attests and monitors the expertise and professional competence of some 4,400 accredited laboratories, certification bodies and inspection bodies, the services of which are required in all sectors of commerce and industry. Thereby DAkkS makes an important contribution for the quality assurance of products and services, consumer confidence and competitiveness of the German economy.

DAkkS it acts in the public interest and as the sole provider of accreditation in Germany and operates on a non-profit basis. The partners of DAkkS are in equal parts the Federal Republic of Germany, the Federal States and the trade and industry represented by the Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie e. V. (Federation of German Industries).

Press Contact
Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH (DAkkS)
(German Accreditation Body)
Oliver Dieser
Spittelmarkt 10 | 10117 Berlin | Germany
communications@dakks.de
www.dakks.de/en

This release was published on openPR.