Recently, the World Bank has published the World Development Report 2025 in which it analyses the role of quality infrastructure and accreditation, positioning them as one of the least visible but most decisive pillars for modern economies to properly function, supporting activities ranging from boosting exports and protecting consumers to promoting innovation and environmental sustainability, as well as through simplifying administrative processes.

It emphasises that most modern trade barriers are no longer financial, but technical. It also highlights that effectively functioning markets are based on the confidence they transmit that products and services meet requirements related to safety, quality, health, or environmental protection, among others.

Therefore, requirements related to assessment activities, such as testing, inspections, certifications, or assessments, today affect almost 90% of world trade. In this context, having reliable and internationally accepted results is essential for exporters, regulators, and purchasers. In this regard, the document adds that “when standards work, they generate confidence. They enable people and businesses to focus on creating, trading, and innovating. When standards fail, the effects are immediate and harmful.”

In this context, accreditation occupies a prominent place. The report states that accreditation plays a central role in the quality infrastructure, providing confidence that conformity assessment bodies act with technical competence and impartiality. This assurance is described as essential for regulators, businesses, and consumers to be able to trust the results of testing, inspections, and certifications.

More competitiveness and international projection

The World Bank links the strength of quality infrastructure with economic integration and trade. According to the report, "countries with stronger quality infrastructure systems - with internationally recognised accreditation systems - tend to trade more and integrate more easily into global value chains," since conformity assessment results are accepted beyond their borders.

On the other hand, the document warns that weak quality infrastructure limits the ability of companies to compete in both domestic and international markets. In this regard, it points out that strengthening accreditation and conformity assessment systems constitutes "an important component of strategies aimed at productivity growth and economic development.”

It also emphasizes that quality infrastructure can reduce the marketing costs of products and services, as when buyers trust the reliability of controls, they do not need to examine the products with the same level of detail, which simplifies business operations.

In matters of international trade, the World Bank indicates that 'the mutual recognition of accredited conformity assessment results reduces technical trade barriers by avoiding duplicate testing and certifications,' which facilitates participation in international markets, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Finally, the report notes that quality infrastructure 'often goes unnoticed but consistently supports how economies and governments effectively function,' from boosting exports and protecting consumers to promoting innovation and environmental sustainability. It also observes that in higher-income economies, national accreditation bodies participate in a greater number of areas covered by international recognition agreements.

Regulatory efficiency and use of public resources

In the regulatory field, the report notes that for regulators to rely on conformity assessment results, they must trust the competence and impartiality of the bodies that issue them.

In this regard, the report adds that "when regulators systematically make systematic use of accredited conformity assessment, they can reduce duplications, lower compliance costs, and focus public resources on higher-risk activities”.

It also highlights that "basing regulatory decisions on accredited conformity assessment enables a better use of limited public resources, focusing on areas where risks are higher and maintaining adequate levels of protection."

The document adds that 'quality infrastructure can make regulation enforcement more effective and efficient,' and it also warns that, in some cases, authorities set conformity assessment requirements that do not align with international best practices or manage laboratories without accreditation, which 'leads to an inefficient use of public resources.' In response, it points out that harmonised approaches to conformity assessment enables appropriate methods to be selected and ensure their consistency between different authorities.

In relation to the European model, the document states that 'the European Union considers accreditation as a public authority function that supports the single market' functioning.