New service directive
Certification of services for companies and consumers
The future belongs to service providers - and they can develop new, appealing markets in a united Europe. Eliminating bureaucratic red tape and facilitating cross-border services, in short: promoting and achieving an internal market for services in the European Union. This is the goal of the EU directive on services 2006/123/EC, which is set to go into effect by the end of 2009. Companies that fall under this directive can now document the quality of their services with a certificate from TÜV NORD.
The directive also seeks to promote improved competitiveness, more transparency of services; and better quality. A company that has its services certified by an independent certification centre and can show this to the outside world in the form of recognised quality symbols sets itself apart from the competition and stands out from the crowd - which results in a better starting position in cross-border competition.
The path to successful certification
TÜV NORD certification is primarily aimed at companies in the sectors of advertising, plant management, real estate, the building trade, as well as architects, trade fair organisers, car rental agencies, sports centres, and amusement parks. The respective service must be described and measurable. If necessary, TÜV NORD CERT will also help implement the service in a testing program. To get the certificate, you must fill out a questionnaire, which is submitted to the TÜV NORD CERT experts along with additional information about the service. The actual auditing and subsequent certification come after the evaluation and documentation and a decision as to whether or not an additional on-site test is necessary. The certificate can be awarded on-site.
