Highlights of the 54th General Assembly

The 54th European co-operation for Accreditation (EA) General Assembly (GA) on 22nd and 23rd November 2023 took place in Dublin, Ireland.

The General Assembly gathered around 84 participants from 41 National Accreditation Bodies (NABs), 8 Recognized Stakeholders, and the EA Advisory Board, there were also representatives of ATS who attended the adoption of numerous resolutions, C level meetings as well as the presentation of the new communication plan.

Here are some of the highlights from this assembly:

EA Communication Network

EA Members approved the terms of Reference for the EA Communications Network. The Communication Network will be a place for communications professionals to share experiences and good practices, learn new tools, and submit to peers any questions related to communications and marketing.
All EA Members and recognized Stakeholders are welcome to participate in the new Communication Network.

EA Code of Conduct

EA published a Code of Conduct for all persons and bodies working for and within EA in the framework of the EA Articles of Association and Rules and Procedures, including EA members, stakeholders, observers, and EA officers and staff. Principles of this Code of Conduct refer to respecting others; behavior, non-discrimination, gender equality/equity, working for the benefit of the European community, respecting and protecting the EA’s brand and reputation, and monitoring potential non-compliance.

 TFG Communications

The EA Executive Board established in 2022 a Task Force Group (TFG) to define the Communications Strategy and to come up with an action plan for the implementation of the Communications Strategy.

The proposed Action Plan has been presented during the General Assembly. The main objectives are:

• Achieve more transparency regarding the EA Executive Board and EA Secretariat’s actions
• A better integration of new members/new management representatives
• Increase the engagement of the audience and improve the circulation of information
• Strengthen the relationship with key stakeholders, and set up a common language tool kit for EA Members, for external communications.

The next General Assembly will take place on 22-23 May 2024.