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About organisation

Mr. Valdis Blome, Chairman of the SAMC

Standardisation, Accreditation and Metrology Centre (SAMC) is a limited liability company under the supervision of the Ministry of Economics of the Republic of Latvia.

SAMC is established on 1 July 2009 . Today it comprises three independent bureaus – Standardisation Bureau (LVS), Latvian National Accreditation Bureau (LATAK), Metrology Bureau (LATMB). Each Bureau has the status of the national institution within its respective field.

As an organisation, representing the national institutions of the quality infrastructure, SAMC is operating in standardisation, accreditation, metrology fields, providing  entrepreneurs, consumers and   state administration with credible and internationally and EU recognised services.

SAMC services facilitate free movement of goods and services, increasing competitiveness of Latvian entrepreneurs  and creating a basis to ensure safe and reliable goods and services.

SAMC has 31employees and a yearly budget of about 0,5 Milj. LVL (0,71 Milj. EUR).

SAMC is an important international and national economic operator in the field of quality infrastructure. The organisation is involved in several multilateral organisations with a focus on quality infrastructure. SAMC participates in different working groups at European Commission level (like SOGS, EC GLP, EC FALB), in European organisations: European Committee for Standardisation (CEN), European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC), European Cooperation for Accreditation (EA), EURAMET, WELMEC, ….

Each of the SAMC bureaux performs its activities stated by the respective law:

In the field of standardisation the Standardisation Bureau (LVS) performs the functions stated by the Standardisation Law:

  • ­    to organize development of the Latvian national standards in standardization technical committees;
  • ­    to adapt all the standards published by European standardization bodies and international standards that are essential for the national economy;
  • ­    to ensure a stock formation of standards and related documents, the stock maintenance and supplement, as well as information dissemination of standardization field;
  • ­    to participate in the work of international and regional standardization bodies.


In the field of accreditation the activities of the Latvian National Accreditation Bureau (LATAK) are defined by the law On Conformity Assessment:

  • ­    to assess, accredit and supervise conformity assessment bodies in accordance with the standard LVS EN ISO/IEC 17011,
  • ­    to ensure technically the activities of the Latvian National Accreditation Council;
  • ­    to organise proficiency tests and co-ordinate inter-laboratory comparison programmes in accordance with Latvian, European Union and international requirements on inter-laboratory comparisons;
  • ­    to co-operate with the national accreditation bodies of other states;
  • ­    to represent Latvia in international accreditation organisations;
  • ­    to develop and maintain a list of the accredited conformity assessment bodies on its Internet web page;
  • ­    to publish information regarding the accredited conformity assessment bodies operating in the regulated sphere on its Internet web page.


In the field of metrology the Metrology Bureau follows the law On Uniformity of Measurements:

  • to ensure maintenance of the standards of physical quantity measurement units and reproduction of measurement units;
  • to approve measurement instrument types and include them in the State Register of Measuring Instruments;
  • to carry out conformity assessment procedures for measuring instruments; subject to the State Metrological control;
  • to provide calibration services;
  • to cooperate with metrology organisations in other countries;
  • to engage in the work of international metrology organisations;
  • to organise and also take part in interlaboratory comparisons.


To promote and strengthen the national quality infrastructure and conformity assessment, the SAMC bureaux within its respective field of competence provide trainings and support services to the interested parties of the national economy and participate in bilateral cooperation projects carried out by the Ministry of Economics with Belarus, Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and other countries.

For further information see: www.samc.lv or www.latak.lv, www.lvs.lv, www.latmb.lv


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