Eugeniusz W. Roguski, D. Sc., Eng., director of the Polish Centre for Accreditation

The production of goods and provision of services, coupled with their free movement across borders, are the prerequisites for undisturbed economic growth. To ensure that the goods produced and the services provided meet changing demand criteria, their range should be determined by the consumer society. Under the new theory of crowdsourcing, which means deriving knowledge, ideas and inspiration from the largest possible group of consumers—the “crowd”—it is the consumer society that shapes market needs.

It is very difficult to devise a system that would ensure a close correlation between consumer needs, innovative research and development, and the production of goods and the provision of services. The three separate groups—consumers, researchers and producers—should work closely with each other.

The final outcome of joint work by the scientific and business communities should be products and services that meet the growing and changing requirements of consumers. What guarantees the quality of the products and services is the conformity assessment system, that is accreditation, testing and certification.

The international accreditation and conformity assessment system provides two main benefits:
1. It guarantees consumers that products and services offered to them are of high quality,
2. It ensures a free movement of goods and services for producers, removing technical barriers in international trade.