Participants final conference Twinning project in Tbisili
Twinning project with Georgia successfully completed
DAkkS was responsible for project management
Press Release,
After a period of 39 months, the Twinning project to “Strengthen the accreditation system in Georgia with a focus on European technical regulation” has been successfully completed. As part of a German-Italian consortium, Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle (DAkkS) was responsible for project management. On 15 March 2023, the project partners met for a closing event in the Georgian capital Tbilisi.
The focus of the final conference on 15 March 2023 in Tbilisi was on the results of the project: alignment of the Georgian legal framework for accreditation with the relevant EU regulations, strengthening of the institutional capacity of the Georgian Accreditation Center (GAC) in line with EU standards, and improvement of best practices. The project also promoted the GAC’s public relations work and intensified cooperation with the EU community.
GAC recognised by international associations
At the event, Chief Executive Officer of DAkkS Dr. Stephan Finke paid tribute to the success of the project: “International recognition of accredited services is a fundamental step for the national accreditation body of Georgia and for the country itself.” Filippo Trifiletti, Director General of ACCREDIA, added that the GAC is now recognised by the international accreditation associations EA, IAF and ILAC and that this is the source of a great deal of satisfaction, as is the sharing of expertise, knowledge and experience with all of the experts involved in the project.
Future of accreditation
In a presentation on the future of accreditation, Finke emphasised the importance of identifying political, economic and social trends at the earliest possible moment, while at the same time warning: “What is more, digitisation is poised to permeate every aspect of our lives. While digitisation holds great deal of potential, it also makes us easy targets for IT attacks. Gaps in IT security can lead to huge financial losses and to the loss of confidential data.”
Role of accreditation in world trade
The second part of the conference focused on the role of accreditation in world trade, with Dr. Stephan Finke discussing the issue together with his Italian colleague Filippo Trifiletti (ACCREDIA), Mariam Gabunia (Georgian Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development), Wolfram Hartmann (DAkkS) and Giorgi Chitadze (GAC) acting as moderator. Participants in the conference included Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle (DAkkS) in its capacity as project manager, Italy’s accreditation body ACCREDIA, EU Ambassador to Georgia Pawel Herczynski, Deputy Minister of the Georgian Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development Genadi Arveladze and Julian Weber of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).
Audience at final conference Twinning Project in Tbisili
Background
In their implementation of the project to “Strengthen the accreditation system in Georgia with a focus on European technical regulation”, DAkkS and the Italian accreditation body ACCREDIA were supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) and Unioncamere, the Italian Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Crafts and Agriculture. The Twinning project in Georgia is now the fifth project of this kind in which DAkkS has participated.
The goals of a Twinning project are to support states with prospects of EU accession and countries covered by the European neighbourhood policy with their adoption of European law or approximation to EU regulations and with development of the necessary administrative capacities. Within the framework of the projects, experts from administrations in EU Member States share their knowledge and experience of implementing European law with colleagues in the respective partner country.
Further Information
Jana Klink
Head of Service Unit Technical Cooperation | International Partnerships
T: +49 (0)30 670591-400
