This regional programme is a follow-up of previous projects already managed by CEN in the Western Balkans and Turkey. The project started in August 2011 and will last 30 months.
The overall objective of the project is to facilitate harmonisation of the legislative framework and implementing mechanisms in the field of free movement of goods (Chapter 1 of the EU acquis).
The specific objectives of this project, funded by the European Commission and EFTA, are as follows:
- Through regional networking initiatives and training, to improve the capabilities of ministries, quality infrastructure bodies and other institutions which are implementing strategies to comply with Chapter 1 of the EU acquis, enabling them to offer industry services to provide the tools to trade in the EU market, as well as in the markets of the beneficiaries.
- Through regional proficiency testing schemes, improve confidence in products tested in beneficiary countries' laboratories, whose performance will be benchmarked with each other and with EU counterparts.
- Contribute to the removal of technical barriers to trade between beneficiaries and the EU and among those beneficiaries.
Country “light” assessments are currently being carried out by the project team, based in Belgrade, so that new hands-on-trainings can be identified, agreed with the Steering Committee and organised in the course of 2012. The proficiency testing exercises should start in March 2012. Also, in the course of 2012, a number of networking activities will be carried out.
Information on the closed IPA 2008 TA.