NAB - MALTA

The National Accreditation Board – Malta (NAB – MALTA) is the single nationally recognized accreditation body in Malta with the authority to grant accreditation to conformity assessment bodies. This is established by Legal Notice 306 of 2007. The Government of Malta has also established that the NAB-MALTA is the national accreditation body for the purposes of Article 4.1 of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008.

The NAB-MALTA is a full member of the European Co-operation for Accreditation (EA) and operates a management system in line with the requirements of EN ISO/IEC 17011 (Conformity Assessment – General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies) and Regulation (EC) No 765/2008.

The main remit of the NAB-MALTA is to assess and accredit the competence of conformity assessment bodies. Presently the NAB-MALTA is active in the following schemes:

  • EN ISO/IEC 17025 for testing and calibration laboratories
  • EN ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection bodies

The NAB-MALTA is currently developing the accreditation scheme for certification bodies of products according to EN ISO/IEC 17065.

The NAB-MALTA is also responsible for the accreditation and supervision of EMAS verifiers, as defined in Regulation (EU) No 1221/2009.

The NAB-MALTA has also been designated as the competent authority with the responsibility for verifying compliance with the principles of Good Laboratory Practice of any testing laboratory in Malta claiming to use Good Laboratory Practice, as referred to in Article 3(1) of L.N 371 of 2004, in the conduct of tests on chemicals.

The NAB-MALTA works closely with a number of regulators, providing advice and support as necessary.  Such activities include:

  • The assessment of the competence of Accredited Conformity Assessment Bodies (ACABs) in the field of lift inspection
  • The assessment of Notified Bodies in line with the applicable European Directive
  • The assessment of Technical Services for motor vehicle type approval
 

NAB-MALTA operates on a not-for-profit basis. The main sources of income of the NAB-MALTA are a yearly vote from the National Budget, assessment activities fees charged to applicant and accredited Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) and, occasionally from training courses.