Accreditation system of the Czech Republic – a set of processes, procedures and rules enabling accreditation to be obtained from the relevant authoritative body – is regulated primarily by Regulation (EC) No. 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 setting out the requirements for accreditation and market surveillance relating to the placing of products on the market and repealing Regulation (EEC) No. 339/93, as amended by the correction of 3 July 2015, and by Act No. 22/1997 Coll., on technical requirements for products, as amended (ZTPV).
The national accreditation body of the Czech Republic is the Czech Accreditation Institute, a public benefit corporation (CAI), based on authorization by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and notification to the European Commission in accordance with the above-mentioned legal regulations.
In the accreditation process, CAI, as a national accreditation body, has the status of a public authority. The implementation of accreditation and the assessment of the fulfillment of accreditation requirements within its framework are governed by the ZTPV and Act No. 500/2004 Coll., Administrative Procedure Code, as amended (SŘ), in the form of administrative proceedings or on the basis of a public law contract.
Conformity assessment bodies that voluntarily seek accreditation in a given area must be prepared to demonstrate, in cooperation with the CAI and under the conditions set by the ZTPV and the SŘ, that they meet the relevant accreditation requirements. The CAI will grant accreditation after the conformity assessment body has demonstrated that it has met the accreditation requirements in relation to the accreditation it is applying for. The fulfilment of the accreditation requirements must last for the entire period of validity of the granted accreditation.
The evidence of accreditation is an accreditation certificate, which serves to demonstrate the professional competence and impartiality of entities providing services in the field of conformity assessment.
In its accreditation activities, CAI is bound, in addition to the applicable legislation, by obligations arising from CAI's status as a member of the European Organization for Cooperation in Accreditation (EA) - a body recognized by the European Commission, the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), and also by the related multilateral agreements on mutual recognition of accreditation concluded.