Cycle of Workshops creates a systemic approach to QI

Dialogue matters

Mexico and Germany both acknowledge the importance of an efficient quality infrastructure (QI). QI covers standardisation, conformity assessment (testing, inspection and certification), accreditation, metrology and market surveillance. It promotes product safety, consumer protection and the reduction or prevention of technical barriers to trade. In its work plan for 2021, the German-Mexican QI working group incorporated the project line “strengthening of product conformity and market surveillance”. This aims to reinforce the QI systems in both countries through a systemic approach to QI. QI elements are only effective when they function collectively. To achieve this, a common understanding of the role, scope and importance of these elements is fundamental.

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie, BMWi) and Mexican Ministry of Economy (Secretaría de Economía - SE) therefore jointly organised the Cycle of Workshops: A Systemic Approach to Quality Infrastructure Mexico-Germany. Its objective is to analyse and understand the QI systems in both countries. In total, five virtual workshops with up to 650 participants from both countries took place between March and August 2021. The event series offered a public platform for actors of the German/European and Mexican QI systems to explain how QI elements work and interrelate and to exchange experiences and good practices. The audiences were also involved and had their questions answered by the experts.