Events

Signed contracts for the use of laboratory equipment

IPA 2013 Project "Procurement of equipment necessary for the improvement of conformity assessment services in the Republic of Serbia" procured equipment for test and measurement to be used by 15 accredited bodies or laboratories that test and confirm the compliance of products placed on the market.

The aim is to create the conditions for Serbian companies to fully and effectively meet the requirements of technical regulations and European standards for product safety. The total value of the project is 5 million EUR, out of which 4.5 million is provided by the EU from IPA 2013 and five hundred thousand EUR by the Ministry of Economy.

Equipment is intended to be used for testing of the following product groups: electrical and electronic appliances, machinery, measuring instruments, equipment used in explosive atmospheres, personal protective equipment, pressure equipment, construction products and others.

Procurement of equipment will strengthen the technical capacity of laboratories in order to facilitate producers of those product groups access to the European market and to reduce the cost of certification services and testing of these products. This should lead to the increase of competitiveness of Serbian industry when placing products on the single European but also on other foreign markets. In addition, the equipment purchased will help local conformity assessment bodies to become active players in the European market of testing and certification of products, in the future period.

Jovan Petrovic, Acting Assistant Minister said that the modern equipped laboratories are very important for Serbia, having in mind the fact that exports this year increased by 11.5 percent, compared to previous year. These labs enable our economy to meet all standards and be competitive, but also our citizens to be satisfied with the quality and safety of products, explained Petrovic. He recalled that the Ministry of Economy harmonized 100 percent of its regulations with the European (12 European directives were transposed, together with the relevant harmonized standards). Products compliant with the technical requirements prescribed by these regulations carry a Serbian certification mark, or symbol of '' AAA '' in the form of a triangle. By this fact we show that we are a serious and reliable partner in the process of European integration, said Petrovic.

Head of the EU Delegation in Belgrade Steffen Hudolin said that every country of the European Union, but also those that tend to be members of this community, must transpose the EU regulations and ensure that their economy produces safe products. "The equipment that we give is important for environmental protection as well, safety at work, for the construction industry in Serbia. This is extremely important for the opening of negotiating chapter 1 and represents only part of what the European Union and the Ministry of Economy together with other Serbian institutions in this field are working on, in the process of Serbia's EU accession. The same, high safety standards must apply to the entire market, both in the European Union and in the candidate countries," said Hudolin.