Paris & London, 3 November 2010 – VerifAvia (UK) Ltd announces that it has received ISO14065:2007 accreditation by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to provide greenhouse gas (GHG) verification for the aviation sector under the EU Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS).
The ISO14065:2007 is an international standard that specifies the principles and the requirements for bodies that undertake validation or verification of GHG assertions. This standard is used by most national accreditation bodies, such as UKAS, to certify companies that want to provide EU ETS verification services. The accreditation is also carried out in accordance with the EA-6/03 guidance document prepared by the European Co-operation for Accreditation (EA) to facilitate a harmonised approach to recognition of verifiers under the EU ETS Directive. The EA-6/03 was updated in 2010 following the inclusion of aviation into the EU ETS.
“Being accredited by UKAS is a major achievement and the positive outcome of a lengthy, complex and costly process. We have had to design and implement a comprehensive quality-based EU ETS assurance management system that is in compliance with the ISO 14065 standard and the EA-6/03 guidance document. The system includes standard operating procedures for each step of a verification audit, as well as procedures to identify, select, train and evaluate EU ETS auditors; procedures to control the quality of the system; procedures to handle complaints and appeals; procedures to ensure the independence and impartiality of verification audits," comments Julien Dufour, VerifAvia’s CEO.
Since January 2010, the 2,500 or so aircraft operators included in the EU ETS have started to monitor their aircraft emissions and tonne-kilometre data according to their approved monitoring plans and the EU ETS regulations. The annual emissions and tonne-kilometre reports must be verified by an independent accredited verifier before being submitted to the relevant EU competent authority. The aim of verification is not only to ensure with reasonable assurance that the reported data is free from material misstatements but also to ensure that the procedures in place conform to the regulations.
“So far, more than 20 commercial airlines and numerous non-commercial operators have signed up with VerifAvia or confirmed they expect to select VerifAvia as their aviation verifier. UKAS accreditation is a key step of our development as it opens the door not only to the aircraft operators administered by the UK but also to the aircraft operators administered by most other competent authorities,” adds Dufour. Indeed, most competent authorities said they would recognize foreign verification bodies that are accredited by a national accreditation body pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 and the EA-6/03, which includes UKAS. Already approved as an aviation verifier in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Malta and Wallonia (Belgium) through its French entity (VerifAvia SARL), UKAS accreditation allows VerifAvia (VerifAvia (UK) Ltd) to be approved in Austria, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain and the United Kingdom.
The verification always includes a site visit unless the verifier considers it can be avoided, but in this case the waiving of the site visit must be approved by the relevant competent authority. In the case of small emitters using the simplified procedure to monitor fuel consumption, it makes sense to waive the site visit. So far only the competent authorities of France and the UK waived the on-site visit for small emitters. While the UK Competent Authority considers that the site visit for small emitters is not a mandatory requirement, but may be required if appropriate, the French competent authority says that a site visit is not required for small emitters under certain conditions.
EUROCONTROL is currently finalising the implementation of its ETS Support Facility which is undergoing BETA testing. The tool should be approved by the European Commission and will be accessible by the operators, the verifiers and the regulators. The tool is expected to facilitate the monitoring, reporting and verification process in particular by allowing the verifiers to have direct access to the list of EU ETS flights operated by the operator.
About VerifAvia – www.verifavia.comVerifAvia is an EU ETS verification body dedicated to the aviation sector that provides flexible, efficient and cost-effective verification services. VerifAvia employs a team of aviation experts with extensive EU ETS experience who have received professional EU ETS verification training in the UK. The company has a presence in the UK, France, Germany and North America, and employs auditors who can communicate in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Croatian. VerifAvia is an associate member of the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and an affiliate member of the European Regions Airline Association (ERA).
