Legal basis
Polish Centre for Accreditation (PCA) is the national accreditation body authorized to accreditation of conformity assessments bodies on the basis of the Act of Parliament of 13 April 2016 on conformity assessment systems and market surveillance (Journal of Laws of 2022 r., item 1854).
Act of Parliament of 13 April 2016
According to the 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 marketing of products and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 339/93, Polish Centre for Accredittaion has been appointed as the only national accreditation body in Poland.
The PCA statute is specified in the Ordinance No. 39 of the Minister of Development of 15 July 2016 on granting the statute to the Polish Center for Accreditation - uniform text (Dz.Urz MPiT z 2018 r. poz. 45).
PCA statute of 23.07.2018 Announcement of the Minister of Entrepreneurship and Technology on the uniform text of the ordinance of the Minister of Development on conferring the PCA statute.
PCA background
PCA was established on 1 January 2001 on the basis of the Accreditation Office of the Polish Centre for Testing and Certification (PCBC) and the Calibration Laboratories' Accreditation Department of the Central Office of Measures (GUM).
The first certificates of accreditation issued as a result of accreditation process carried out in accordance with the requirements of international standards were granted: for testing laboratory in 1992, for certification body in 1993, for calibration laboratory in 1997, for inspection body in 2000, for EMAS and GHG verifiers – in 2006, for profficiency testing providers – in 2009, for medical laboratory – in 2010.