THE ORGANIZATION
THE ORGANIZATION
Buy & Access Standards
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Organizational Experiences & Quality Assurance
Organizational Experience
CYS is recognized at national, European and international level for the development, strengthening and promotion of the national quality management infrastructure through actions that establish its reputation and integrity. At national level, it maintains and continually expands its collaborative network with new prominent partners. At European and international level, CYS is intensifying its efforts to achieve new strategic partnerships with other Standardization Organizations. CYS co-sings Memorandums of Understanding, aiming to promote activities in areas of common interest and through the exploitation of new synergies/experiences.
Quality assurance
As a result of the organizational restructuring and always aiming to operate, manage and support a National Standardization System which complies to the framework of European and International Standardization, following an independent audit in July 2019 conducted by DQS HELLAS, CYS was awarded with the CYS EN ISO 9001: 2015 certification for the Quality Management System applied across the organization. Dedicated to maintain high efficiency and to fulfill its contractual obligations, CYS is consistently improving, aiming at high quality services in the form of informative and educational programs in the field of standardization. The certification is a proof of the Organization’s effective policies, practices and procedures and reaffirms the organization’s commitment to implementing proven and well-established best practices with consistency and rigor.
Certificate ISO9001 – Download PDF
Quality Policy
The Cyprus Organization for Standarization (CYS), as the national standardization body is responsible for the national standardization system’s management, as well as for the development, publication and sales of the National, European and International standards.
The quality management system’s framework applies to the organization’s operations, the management and support of the National Standardization System and to the informative and educational services in the field of standardization which the organization offers. Furthermore, it complies with the framework of European Standardization and the status of the organization as a member of the International Standardization System.
CYS’ vision is to support the widespread adoption of International and European standards withing the Cypriot society.
The CYS’s mission is:
- To safeguard the national interests in the European and International standardization system by strengthening the National standardization system and
- The promotion of International & European standards within the Cypriot society, aiming to reinforce the competitiveness of the local companies and organizations, protect the environment and safeguard the consumers’ health and safety.
The strategic goal of the Organization is to consistently increase the adoption and use of European and international standards within the Cypriot society.
The objectives of the Organization are the following:
- Contribute to the development and improvement of quality infrastructure and improved safety of goods, services and systems and the protection of the environment in Cyprus.
- Secure the effectiveness of the National Standardization System and the National Representation in the European and International Standardization activities.
The Management and employees of the Organization perform their duties based on the following fundamental principles and values:
- Loyalty
- Consent
- Integrity
- Transparency
- Professional and technical competence
- Innovation
CYS’ strategic goals derive from a three-year strategic plan. The tree-year strategic directions of the organization, aim to support the implementation of best practices and actions, which in turn enable the Organization to effectively respond to current trends and challenges.
The quality objectives of the CYS quality management system are established and periodically reviewed in the context of the Organizational Governance review or whenever deemed necessary.
CYS is committed to provide the leadership, the resources and those systems that can meet customer requirements and stakeholder expectations. The Organization’s Board of Directors, the Management and the employees of the Organization are committed to satisfy and comply to all directives and regulations deriving from the European Union directives, regulations internal to the European and international standardization organizations and its own organizational operating policies. The Board of Directors, the Management and the Employees of the Organization are committed to continually improve the quality management system in use.
To ensure its adequacy, this policy is reviewed and evaluated annually in the context of the Organizational Governance Review, or whenever deemed necessary. It is published and available on the organization’s website to all interested parties.
European Programs
In its efforts to expand its outreach and associates’ network at European and International level, CYS focuses on cooperations for the implementation of actions promoting the European and International standards, that enhance the local organizations’ competitiveness, that promote environmental preservation and safeguard the consumes’ health and safety. Within this context, the organization participates in programs focusing on the national standardization system reinforcement, builds expertise and promotes best practices within the context of the wide range of services that offers.
Programs/actions in which CYS participated, either as a coordinator or as a partner:
- “LIFELONG LEARNING PROGRAM Leonardo da Vinci”
- “Intelligent Energy – Europe” through the program “Build Up Skills – Pillar II”
- Erasmus+
- FPA
- Apollon
Further activities
1) Small to Medium Enterprises & Standardization
Recognizing the important role of small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Cypriot society and in its effort to promote SME’s participation in standardization, the Cyprus Standardization Organization (CYS) has prepared this tool – guide.
The aim of the tool is to help SMEs understand how the implementation of the standards can strengthen and benefit their businesses and to identify those standards which are suitable for their type of operations. The tool/guide enables them to get support by the national standardization body (CYS), as well as to take action towards influencing the content of standards that are under development.
2) Standardization & Education
Further to the initiative of the European Standardization Organizations CEN & CENELEC, the working group “Education about Standardization” was established. The goal of the group is to promote Standardization through educational programs and academic methods. Standardization work is the bridge which EU Member States should use to enhance the visibility of standardization through educational and academic programs in order to help students become familiar with the advantages, the strategic benefits and the challenges that standardization has to offer. In this context, CYS conducts a variety of lectures in cooperation with academic institutions and the Ministry of Education. Up until today, a group of CYS’s officers has delivered a series of lectures to more than 120 students of Secondary Education conveying the message that the quality-culture of a society begins from education.
- Master plan on Education about Standardization – Download PDF
- Policy on Education about Standardization – Download PDF
Selecting the Appropriate Standard
Every enterprise and company should identify and select the appropriate standards to apply to the products, services and processes it uses. CYS, as the national standardization body, can help any interested SΜΕ identify the right standards and specifications.
At the same time, the European Standardization Organizations CEN and CENELEC, through their Members in European countries, have created a network of Officers from all national standardization bodies who are responsible for assisting small and medium-sized enterprises based on their needs and in relation to standards and standardization in general. The person appointed in Cyprus as the Standardization Officer is Mrs. Angeliki Loizou and can be contacted by phone 00357 22 411 417 or by email a.loizou@cys.org.cy.
The European Organization for Standardization (CEN) and the European Organization for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) have published standards for many types of industry and trade sectors. More information on the sectors within which the European Organizations are active can be found at www.cencenelec.eu
Exchanging Experiences
You can participate in the Standardization Activities
«A European standard is created by those who participate in its development …»
The participation in the process of developing a standard allows each interested party to network with a significant number of peers and subject matter experts within the sector they operate and to gather information on the most recent developments within their sector on a European level. It is important to remember that the standards are created for the industry /business and their customers, while at the same time standards provide a competitive advantage to the companies that apply them in their operations.
Participation in standardization activities can be achieved in two different ways:
either at national level by being a member of mirror committees operating within the National Standardization System and managed by CYS following the European and international standardization or in a more active way by representing Cyprus in the European or international standardization Technical Committees of CEN, CENELEC, ETSI, ISO and IEC as National Representatives
either at European level through the European Union Partners and Organizations which represent e.g. the industry, consumers, environmentalists or the trade unions.
Are you an expert and wish to participate in the standardization processes? click HERE.
