Swedac is supporting Jordan to develop its accreditation activities. According to Magnus Pedersen at Swedac, this initiative will benefit trade in both countries.

The Swedish government has appointed Merih Malmqvist Nilsson as acting Director-General at Swedac, starting from March 12, 2018. Merih Malmqvist Nilsson will lead Swedac until a new Director-General is appointed.

On March 7 Mr Ardalan Shekarabi, Minister for Public Administration, visited Swedac in Borås, to be briefed about the on-going relocation of parts of Swedac's operations.

As posted earlier, on request from the Swedish Government, Swedac has analysed what consequences, particularly for Swedish interests, the UK’s withdrawal from the EU may have for the application of technical regulations in trade in goods within the EU and between the EU and the UK. The full report is now available in English.

Swedac concludes that Britain’s withdrawal from the EU, Brexit, means major changes in the trade in goods. On behalf of the Government, Swedac has carried out an analysis in which it demonstrates the consequences that Britain’s withdrawal from the EU may have for the application of technical rules for products. The report was submitted to Ann Linde, Minister of EU Affairs and Trade on 6 December 2017.

Swedac’s Deputy Director General, Merih Malmqvist Nilsson, has now completed her first year as Chair of ILAC, the global organisation for accreditation bodies in the fields of laboratory and inspection body accreditation. We have interviewed her on the past year, the challenges she has faced and how she views the future within the organisation.

Swedac has signed an agreement with JANAAC, the Jamaican national accreditation body, to help them develop the capacity to expand their accreditation services. We have interviewed JANAAC's Chief Executive Officer Sharonmae Shirley who, along with JANAACS Accreditation Manager Nickoe Boothe-Thompson and a number of assessors, visited Sweden in November to exchange knowledge and experience.

Swedac has launched an initiative to highlight quality issues in Sweden. The Quality Country Initiative was launched in connection with the Quality Fair in Gothenburg. The goal is to establish a national quality strategy with clear links to international quality work.

Every year, the European Commission organises a conference focusing on quality infrastructure in the Eastern Partnership. The focus this year was market surveillance and Swedac was invited to demonstrate how market surveillance is organised in Sweden.

Swedac has participated in the expert group for the market surveillance investigation. The investigation is proposing new legislation on market surveillance. The final proposal shall be submitted to the Government by January 2018.