Speaking at the event organised by RIA Novosti, First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said that the regulatory framework for a unified national accreditation system in Russia will be established in 2013. "We need to finish creating the regulatory framework this year," Mr Shuvalov said. He added that the draft law On Accreditation will pass through a public hearing process, after which it will be considered by the State Duma at the beginning of the autumn session. The bylaws necessary for the law's implementation should also be adopted by the year's end.
The new accreditation system will become fully operational by mid-2016, the First Deputy Prime Minister said. "Mid-2016 is the deadline, and by that time everything should be working smoothly and according to the regulations," Mr Shuvalov said. During the transition period, he suggested meeting twice per year with the Open Government to discuss the progress towards establishing the national accreditation system.
The First Deputy Prime Minister supported the idea of establishing a Public Council under the Federal Accreditation Service, but spoke against increasing the funding for the agency and the number of its staff. The government is ready to fund the creation of a single database that contains the results of certification tests, which will be available on the Internet, Mr Shuvalov said. This system, according to the First Deputy Prime Minister, will help ensure that the products that were denied certification in one laboratory will not be certified elsewhere.