New Accession Countries Initiative

IOSH developed the New Accession Countries (NAC) Initiative to help new EU member states to improve their standards of health and safety.

The initiative also includes EU candidate countries – Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey – and potential candidate countries – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo.

The aims of the NAC Initiative are to:

• provide a useful model for health and safety professionals in the candidate and new EU member states
• work towards providing a solid infrastructure from which to build and develop the required standards and levels of competence
• create a mutually beneficial relationship with other health and safety organisations in these countries
  
  

The NAC Working Party

The NAC Working Party was created to look at how IOSH can co-operate with new accession countries. Its role is to:

• identify potential contacts and possible initiatives for exchanging information
• visit new accession countries to promote mutual understanding
• offer IOSH services to health and safety professionals in the new EU member states
• build new relationships with health and safety organisations from the candidate or new member countries and share knowledge and best practice
• encourage dialogue on professional safety, health and environment (SHE) standards in the application of the EU Framework Directives and foster co-operation on SHE developments

The current members of the Working Party are:

• Malcolm McIntyre (chair)
• David Evans
• Nick Butler
• Derran Williams
• Paul Popescu
• Gisela Derrick (International Officer)

New accession countries

IOSH currently has links with Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Over the next 12 months, we're hoping to create links with other European countries, such as Bulgaria and Macedonia.

Read about our New accession countries activities.

Further information

If you'd like more information or have any contacts for a professional health and safety organisation in one of the new accession countries, please contact Gisela Derrick, Interim International Officer.