The National Accreditation Entity (ENAC) held its General Assembly chaired by José Manuel Prieto, during which, together with the organization’s director general, Beatriz Rivera, the budgets and planned activities for 2026 were announced.
Looking ahead to the upcoming year, ENAC expects to begin with approximately 2,000 accredited entities and 31 centers holding the Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) certification, thereby strengthening its position as a key component within the quality system in Spain.
By the end of 2025, the number of accredited entities is distributed across schemes as follows: 969 testing laboratories, 159 calibration laboratories, 97 clinical laboratories, 455 inspection bodies, 265 certification bodies, 18 proficiency testing providers, 16 verification and validation entities, 12 environmental verifiers, 4 reference material producers, and 2 biobanks.
A year marked by legislative development and adaptation to new regulations
Beatriz Rivera began by presenting the planned activities for the upcoming year, which will be influenced by the evolution of various European, national, and autonomous regulations. Among these, she highlighted some as “the expected impact of regulations such as the Battery Regulations, Cyber-Resilience (CRA), Artificial Intelligence, and Biodiesel, as well as the implementation of Regulation 2023/956, establishing the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM).”
At the national level, she reaffirmed ENAC’s willingness to collaborate with various public administrations integrating accreditation into their regulatory frameworks: “In this regard, significant growth is expected in activities related to environmental inspection and urban planning licenses, driven by accreditation requirements approved by several autonomous communities in 2025.”
Within the framework of actions aimed at fostering closer and more efficient cooperation with public administrations and regulatory bodies, Rivera announced that “ENAC plans to publish a new document directed at these authorities to convey a clear and practical vision of how accreditation and accredited services can support administrative simplification processes, in line with priorities set by the European Commission.”
Internal transformation: digitization, stakeholder collaboration, and new regulatory developments
Operationally, Rivera also outlined some internal work lines for 2026, focused on expanding efforts in innovation and digitalization. A key milestone will be the gradual incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI), primarily to optimize internal processes.
Additionally, she emphasized the importance of maintaining close collaboration with all stakeholders to ensure the rigor of the accreditation process and to incorporate the necessary technical and professional knowledge. In this regard, and referencing ENAC’s ongoing relationships with its interest groups, the director noted that the organization “will continue to strengthen cooperation with administrations, universities, scientific societies, and the various bodies that comprise the quality infrastructure, both nationally and internationally, aiming to further establish a solid, competitive accreditation system capable of facing future challenges within and outside our borders.”
Regarding upcoming regulatory changes, Rivera pointed out that as the UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17020, UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17065, and UNE-EN ISO/IEC 17024 standards are under review, ENAC will initiate the corresponding transition plans during the year once their review and approval processes are completed. She added that “these plans will enable entities to adapt in an orderly manner to the new requirements, ensuring continuity of rigor and trust in the accreditation system.”
International projection: re-evaluation by EA, new EA MLA branding, and the launch of the Global Accreditation Cooperation
The international field will play a prominent role in 2026. ENAC will undergo re-evaluation by European Accreditation (EA) in October, which is essential to maintain mutual recognition agreements across Europe and globally. Furthermore, ENAC’s technical team is expected to participate in EA peer evaluations of accreditation bodies in countries such as Slovenia, Israel, Ireland, and the Czech Republic, among others, “aiming to contribute to the full functioning of the accreditation system and to maintaining its international recognition agreements,” the director general noted.
Additionally, 2026 will see the launch of the new EA branding, aimed at reinforcing confidence in the conformity assessment services accredited under the EA Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (EA MLA). “ENAC will make the combined EA MLA-ENAC mark available to accredited entities at the beginning of the year,” she stated.
Globally, January 1 will mark the full launch of the new organization, Global Accreditation Cooperation Incorporated, resulting from the merger of ILAC and IAF. In this context, ENAC will continue to play an active role in international working groups, contributing to the development of criteria and initiatives that promote awareness of accreditation in Europe and around the world.