International Standards

Iceland is a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and also part of the European Economic Area (EEA). Being a member of these associations, the country follows their specific trade standards and technical regulations. 

Standards organizations

The Icelandic Standards (IST) is the national standards body of Iceland. It is an independent association whose role is the publication of Icelandic standards and the representation of the country in international and regional standards organizations.  

Four sectorial standardization committees operate under the auspices of IST: in the building sector, in the information technology sector, in the electrotechnical sector and in the fisheries sector.

Icelandic Standards is a member of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). It is also a member of ISO and IEC. 

Conformity Assessment

Electrical equipment sold and used by the public (consumer electronics and household electrical appliances) must carry the CE mark to certify that the products have met EU consumer safety, health or environmental requirements. 

Iceland does not require country of origin marking for imports.  However, goods carrying incorrect designations of origin are prohibited, and products made to appear as produced or manufactured in Iceland may not be imported unless the correct foreign origin is clearly and durably marked thereon.

Special marking regulations and labeling requirements exist for pharmaceuticals, chemicals, food products and other product categories.  Iceland has health, sanitary and labeling rules and capabilities for monitoring product quality.

A retail-size food package must show the name of the manufacturer, packer or importer, commercial name of the product, net metric weights or volume, ingredients in descending order of weight, last recommended date of consumption, and storage instructions if perishable or intended for infants. Any product from which more than 0.9% is produced from genetically modified organisms must be labeled as such. 

Product Certification

To sell products on the EU market as well as Iceland, exporters are required to apply CE marking whenever their product is covered by specific product legislation. CE marking product legislation offers manufacturers a number of choices and requires decisions to determine which safety/health concerns need to be addressed, which conformity assessment module is best suited to the manufacturing process, and whether or not to use EU-wide harmonized standards.

Products manufactured to standards adopted by CEN, CENELEC and ETSI, and published in the Official Journal as harmonized standards, are presumed to conform to the requirements of EU Directives.  The manufacturer then applies the CE marking and issues a declaration of conformity.  With these, the product will be allowed to circulate freely within the EU/EEA district.  A manufacturer can choose not to use the harmonized EU standards, but then must demonstrate that the product meets the essential safety and performance requirements. 

The CE marking is not intended to include detailed technical information on the product, but there must be enough information to enable the inspector to trace the product back to the manufacturer or the authorized representative established in the EU. 

Accreditation

The Icelandic Consumer Agency is, among other things, the national accreditation organization. The agency provides companies and institutions with expert accreditation and metrological services. It is responsible for ensuring compliance with requirements for the safety and interests of Icelandic consumers.  The Accreditation Division performs accreditation of inspection, testing and certification to the EN 45000 series of standards.  It also handles communications and training concerning accreditation issues and B-accreditation of workshops for re-inspection of motor vehicles, testing and installation of tachographs.  

Contacts

Icelandic Standards

Website:  www.stadlar.is 

E-mail: stadlar@stadlar.is 

Address: Skúlatún 2, IS-105 Reykjavik, Iceland

Tel: +354 520 71 50

Fax: +354 520 71 71