Quality Infrastructure represents a complex array of institutions, systems, norms and regulations of a country, which ensure that goods traded in national markets (imported or nationally produced), comply with safety or other requirements of public interest. It is therefore the infrastructure that lays out the rules of the game for public and private agents in order to safeguard and protect the health and safety of society, the legitimate interests of the consumers etc. In broad terms a Quality Infrastructure system consists of numerous interlinked areas of activity including development of technical regulations, standardisation, conformity assessment, accreditation, legal and scientific metrology and market surveillance.
Each element of the Quality Infrastructure system is intended, in synergy with others, to promote economic efficiency and enhance welfare. However incompatibilities and conflicts of interests that exist both between and within industries and, most importantly, across national frontiers can give rise to serious non-tariff barriers, more commonly known as Technical Barriers to Trade. Against these considerations, public authorities across the world are increasingly recognising the advantages of aligning national Quality Infrastructure systems on multilateral and regional basis. Efforts under the WTO/TBT Agreement, as well as the pioneering work for the EU Single Market are clear examples to this end.
European Profiles has invested heavily in developing a strong intellectual and technical basis in the field of Quality Infrastructure. Having developed strong co-operation with various standardisation, accreditation and related bodies in Europe, as well as a large skills base of long and short term experts in the field, European Profiles has actively supported the reform and strengthening of Quality Infrastructure systems in Ukraine Bosnia Herzegovina and Russia, while also assisting the governments of Moldova and Georgia in related trade facilitation reforms in the context of the WTO and regional initiatives.
Our approach is deeply rooted on the premise that a modern Quality Infrastructure system should first and foremost develop confidence and mutual trust among all players involved. Only if these two notions are successfully embedded in the system can one expect that it has reached the desired level of internal sustainability. Accordingly we support governments, line ministries and related public organisations in their efforts to reform national quality infrastructure systems in alignment with international and European standards and norms ensuring impartiality, completeness and technical competence. Across our efforts, we place particular emphasis in working closely with both in the public and private sector, which we view as critical to the sustainability of our work.