“O‘ztest” Center to be abolished

The O‘ztest Center will be abolished, and the Accreditation Center will be transferred under the Cabinet of Ministers. This was announced on February 12 during a presentation to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the comprehensive modernization of the technical regulation sector in line with international standards.

According to the report, over the past four years half of the national standards have been fully harmonized with international requirements. The country’s accreditation system has ranked 29th among 185 countries, and the results of national laboratories have begun to be recognized by 37 countries, including Germany, South Korea, and Japan.

At the same time, mandatory state registration for 156 high-risk product categories has been abolished, and the number of products subject to mandatory certification has been reduced by 27 percent.

Entrepreneurs themselves acknowledge that this has helped create a fair competitive environment in the sector and reduced excessive bureaucracy.

However, it was emphasized that many issues still remain unresolved. As part of the process of joining the World Trade Organization, the technical regulation system must be fully aligned with international standards.

It was noted that the current practice of inspecting companies when assessing product compliance has caused dissatisfaction among entrepreneurs. Under existing rules, when non-compliant products are identified, the activities of the producer are restricted rather than the circulation of the product.

In developed countries, a risk-based market surveillance system is used. Under this approach, manufacturers declare product conformity and assume full responsibility for ensuring quality and safety.

In this regard, the country plans to gradually move away from state control and transition to market surveillance principles. A draft law “On Market Surveillance” has been prepared for this purpose.

The need to abandon outdated standards and ineffective technical regulations and fully transition to international standards was also highlighted. Currently, more than 33,000 standards are in force, half of which are outdated or do not meet international requirements.

As a result, six technical regulations will be abolished and 29 will be revised. This year, 4,460 international standards are set to be adopted, followed by more than 2,500 next year and 817 in 2028.

From July 1, 2026, production and services in textiles, leather, furniture, electrical engineering, automotive manufacturing, and information technology will be organized fully in line with international standards. From 2027, the reforms will extend to oil and gas, metallurgy, transport, construction products, and medical devices, and from 2028 to energy, chemicals, environmental protection, and services.

The need to further simplify the certification process was also emphasized. The current complex system contributes to unjustified cost increases and creates conditions for bureaucracy and corruption. A risk-based assessment system will be introduced, and mandatory certification for remaining product categories will gradually be abolished and replaced with a declaration-based system.

Overall, it was noted that adopting the draft law “On General Product Safety” would be appropriate.

Institutional changes will also be implemented. The number of organizations within the Technical Regulation Agency will be reduced from five to three by abolishing the O‘ztest Center and transferring the Accreditation Center under the Cabinet of Ministers.

It was proposed to fully transfer testing and certification services to the private sector. Currently, 207 testing laboratories and 73 certification bodies operate in the private sector across all industries. To promote healthy competition, leading international companies such as Intertek (UK), SGS (Switzerland), Bureau Veritas (France), and TÜV (Germany) will be привлечены.

The presentation also addressed the introduction of the national conformity mark “SUz,” ensuring the independence of the accreditation body, digitalizing testing laboratories, reforming the metrology system, and expanding the national standards base.

The president listened to feedback from entrepreneurs on the proposals and instructed officials to implement the new system.