On April 7, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed in the second reading a euro-integration law harmonizing the accreditation of conformity assessment bodies and the technical regulation system with European Union requirements (register no. 12221). The law was developed by the Ministry of Economy in close cooperation with businesses, industry associations, experts, and international partners and is an important step toward concluding the ACAS Agreement — the “industrial visa-free” arrangement.
“The adoption of this law brings us closer to the ACAS Agreement or ‘industrial visa-free’ regime between Ukraine and the EU. Once signed, our manufacturers will be able to operate on the European market with certificates issued in Ukraine, without spending time or money on re-certification abroad. This will significantly simplify access of Ukrainian products to the EU internal market and open new opportunities for business,” said Oleksiy Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture.
The law implements EU Regulation No. 765 and Decision No. 768 into Ukrainian legislation and provides for:
- Mutual recognition of accreditation between Ukraine and the EU. Ukraine will recognize accreditation results carried out by EU bodies if they successfully pass mutual evaluation. If a Ukrainian manufacturer applies EU standards identical to harmonized European standards, its products will be considered compliant.
- Cross-border accreditation. Conditions are defined under which Ukraine’s National Accreditation Body can accredit bodies in the EU and vice versa.
- Obligations for courts and authorities to consider EU Court decisions and European Commission practice as sources of national law in accreditation matters.
- Balanced representation on the Accreditation Council.
- Increased responsibility of businesses for the accuracy of product information.
- Interaction with the European Commission and EU authorities under the ACAS Agreement.
Most of these changes will take effect simultaneously with the start of the ACAS Agreement.
The Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products (ACAS) is a future agreement between Ukraine and the EU. It provides for mutual recognition of conformity assessment results (certificates) for industrial products in the first three priority sectors: low-voltage electrical equipment, electromagnetic compatibility of equipment, and machinery.
Once ACAS takes effect, Ukrainian manufacturers will be able to export products to the EU market without additional inspections. This will reduce time and costs for conformity assessment and help remove technical trade barriers. Signing the ACAS Agreement is a practical step toward EU integration.
