BRUSSELS - The International Confederation of Inspection and Certification Organisations (CEOC) and the European Federation for Non-Destructive Testing (EFNDT) have signed co-operation agreements with the European Federation of National Associations of Measurement, Testing and Analytical Laboratories (EUROLAB).

EFNDT President Vjera Krstelj, EUROLAB President Jean-Luc Laurent and CEOC International President Hugo Eberhardt stated after the signing ceremony that this co-operation marks an important step in the further development of the European inspection, testing and certification sector and enhances the political visibility and technical influence towards the European institutions and organizations in Brussels. These Memoranda of Understanding are defining the co-operation issues between CEOC, EFNDT and EUROLAB in the field of testing and certification of products and technical installations in Europe and will position these organisations as Europe's leading inspection and testing representatives/bodies.

The growing number of unsafe products reaching the European markets and the ongoing aging of technical and industrial installations call for a concerted action between these inspection organizations providing enhanced safety to the European societies and its citizens.

CEOC International was founded in 1961 in Zurich and acts as the voice of the inspection and certification sector at EU and international levels. Its headquarters are now based in Brussels.

Composed of 24 national associations from the EU and EFTA, EUROLAB is a network of more than 2,000 conformity assessment bodies representing over 100,000 technical experts and laboratory practitioners.

EFNDT was founded in May 1998 in Copenhagen at the 7th European Conference for Non-Destructive Testing (ECNDT). BINDT is a full member of EFNDT along with nearly 40 other national NDT societies in Europe.