Status of the Agency and the meaning of its certificates

The Agency does not act under any mandate, delegation or authorisation from the European Commission, the Council, the Parliament or any other institution, body, office or agency of the European Union. It does not represent, and must not be represented as representing, the European Union or any Member State.

The words "European" and "Agency" in the Agency's name describe the geographical focus of its work and its function as an assessment body. They do not denote official status, public authority, or any relationship with the institutions of the European Union.

The Agency is not accredited by any national accreditation body appointed under Regulation (EC) No 765/2008, and its certificates are not conformity assessment within the meaning of that Regulation. The Agency is not an approved certification body under Article 42 or Article 43 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679, and its certificates do not constitute a data protection certification within the meaning of those Articles.

A certificate issued by the Agency states that, at the date of the certification decision and within the scope stated on the certificate, the assessed organisation was found to meet the requirements of the stated EDCA standard at the stated level, on the basis of the evidence examined.

A certificate is not, and must not be presented as:

• a guarantee that the certified organisation will not suffer a security incident, data breach or service failure;
• a warranty of the quality, fitness for purpose, safety or lawfulness of any product or service supplied by the certified organisation;
• a statement about any activity, system, product, location or processing operation outside the scope stated on the certificate;
• an audit of financial statements, a legal opinion, or advice of any kind;
• an approval, authorisation or endorsement by any public authority.

Certification reflects the position at a point in time. Status may change through suspension or withdrawal. Any person relying on a certificate should verify its current status in the register of certified organisations at the time of reliance.

Certified organisations receive a licence to use the EDCA certification mark for the period of validity of the certificate. The licence is non-transferable and is subject to the following conditions.

• The mark may be used only in connection with the certified scope, and must not suggest that unrelated products, services or entities are certified.
• The mark must be reproduced without alteration to its proportions, colours or wording, and must be accompanied by the certificate number where space permits.
• The mark must not be applied to a product, its packaging, or a test report in a way that could be mistaken for a conformity marking such as the CE marking.
• No statement may be made that suggests approval, authorisation or endorsement by the European Union, any Member State, or any public authority.
• Use of the mark ceases immediately upon expiry, suspension or withdrawal of the certificate, and all references to certification must then be removed from public materials.

Misuse of the mark is grounds for suspension or withdrawal of the certificate and, where necessary, for legal proceedings. Suspected misuse may be reported to official@edca.pro.

The Agency exercises professional care in conducting assessments and reaching certification decisions. It does not, however, accept liability to any third party for loss arising from reliance on a certificate, save in the case of fraud or wilful misconduct on the part of the Agency.

The information on this website is provided for information purposes. The register of certified organisations is maintained as the authoritative record of certificates issued by the Agency; where any other publication of the Agency conflicts with the register, the register prevails.

The Agency is not responsible for the content of external websites linked from this site, including the websites of certified organisations.

The EDCA standards, the content of this website, the Agency's name, emblem, seal and certification marks are the property of European Digital Certification Agency. The standards may be reproduced in full for the purpose of preparing for or conducting an assessment, provided no alteration is made and the source is stated. Any other reproduction requires written permission.

This notice, the certification agreement and any non-contractual obligations arising from them are governed by the law of the Republic of Estonia. The courts of the Republic of Estonia have exclusive jurisdiction, save that the Agency may bring proceedings for misuse of its marks in any competent court.

This notice is published in English. Where the Agency issues a translation, the English text prevails in the event of any discrepancy.