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50th Anniversary Celebrations in Larnaca (Cyprus)

The Convention officially celebrated its 50th anniversary on 9-10 October 2025 in Larnaca (Cyprus). The anniversary consisted of a regular Standing Committee meeting on 9 October 2025, a Technical Programme on 10 October 2025 as well as various social events, in particular a dinner, generously hosted by the Cyprus Assay Office, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this year.

The Convention was originally signed in Vienna (Austria) on 15 November 1972 and entered into force on 27 June 1975, introducing the first-ever international hallmark, the Common Control Mark (CCM). The CCM aimed at facilitating the international trade of precious metal articles while maintaining consumer protection – in line with the Convention’s preamble. Over the decades, the CCM has become a global symbol of trust while the Convention itself has become a vibrant community of like-minded people representing Ministries, Supervisory Agencies, Assay Offices or official laboratories around the world. This community has proudly expanded from 7 Founding Members to 22 Contracting States, 2 Applicant States, 6 Technical Programme Participants (TPPs) and 3 Observers.

To remember the anniversary, participants were presented with a silver pin with the 50th anniversary logo as well as various memorabilia, generously organised and sponsored by Ashley Carson and the Sheffield Assay Office.

Standing Committee Meeting

The 93rd meeting of the Standing Committee (SC) on 9 October 2025 was opened by the SC Chairman, Scott Walter (Edinburgh Assay Office), and the Director of the Cyprus Assay Office, Christos Kiayias, on behalf of the Cypriot Ministry of Energy, Commerce & Industry. The SC was attended by 62 officials representing all 22 Contracting States, 1 Applicant State (Ukraine), 3 TPPs (Bosnia-Herzegovina, China, North Macedonia), 3 Observers (Moldova, Montenegro and KRISOS / Spain), and 1 guest (Estonia).

The SC Chairman was assisted by the First Deputy Chairman, Mr Thomas Brodmann (Swiss Assay Office), and the Second Deputy Chairman, Mr Peters Brangulis (Assay Office of Latvia) who is also the Chairman of the Standing Technical Group (STG). The SC Chairman reported on major milestones and progress within the Convention over the last 10 years and reflected on structural, operational, and regulatory developments while looking at key lessons, challenges and strategic priorities for the future. The First Deputy Chairman’s Report presented trade perspectives, expectations and demands while the Second Deputy Chairman’s Report looked at key deliverables, upcoming challenges as well as future working priorities of the STG.

 

Main decisions & outcomes of the SC

The SC:

  • Adopted the 50th anniversary logo as the new Convention logo in replacement of the gold 750 CCM.
  • Adopted a Model Law, which will help countries around the world to draft legislation on the control and marking of articles of precious metals.
  • Adopted a mandate for the newly established Working Group on Electronic Commerce (WG E-COM). This Working Group will draft best practices on how to control electronic market places, increase awareness among consumers, co-operate with trade and industry (e.g. CIBJO) in order to find common solutions, and look at how luxury articles or other affected sectors tackle the problem.
  • Agreed on a succession plan and related Terms of Reference in order to recruit a new Secretary to the Standing Committee in 2026.
  • Endorsed the conclusions and recommendations on the Round Robin on Marking, in particular the wider use of the CCM Type 2, best-practice guidelines on laser parameters, standards for mechanical punches, harmonisation of marking, marking evaluation criteria, and technical support and training.
  • Adopted the Treasurer Report on Technical Programme Accounts for the period 2024 and noted the 2024 financial report of the Convention, the 2025 financial situation and the 2026 budget.
  • Re-elected Scott Walter (Edinburgh Assay Office) as SC Chairman for the period 1 January 2026 – 31 December 2027.
  • Re-elected Thomas Brodmann (Swiss Assay Office) as SC First Deputy Chairman and Peters Brangulis (Assay Office of Latvia) as Second Deputy Chair for the same period.
  • (Re-)elected STG Members for the period 2026-27 (in alphabetical order): Ana Alves (Portuguese Assay Office); Peters Brangulis (Assay Office of Latvia); Thomas Brodmann (Swiss Assay Office); Ashley Carson (Sheffield Assay Office); Will Evans (Assay Office London); Sipke van der Meulen (EWN); Katarzyna Nadara (Polish Regional Assay Office in Warsaw); Gianluca Pozza (Vicenza Assay Office); and Scott Walter (Edinburgh Assay Office).
  • Agreed to reconvene in Geneva (Switzerland) on 7 October 2026 for a hybrid meeting
  • Accepted an invitation by the Irish Assay Office to meet in Dublin (Ireland) in the second half of 2027.
  • Commended Christos Kiayias and the Cyprus Assay Office for the perfect organisation and hosting of the 50th anniversary and related events.

 

Reports from the OC, STG and Working Groups

The SC reviewed the work carried out by the Organising Committee (OC) for the 50th anniversary, the STG as well as the Working Groups:

  • The OC met five times in the course of 2024-2025: it successfully developed an Anniversary Programme and supported the Cyprus Assay Office on organisational issues. It also acted as Judging Panel for the 50th Anniversary Logo Competition.
  • The STG met in Geneva (Switzerland) on 25 February 2025 and in Sheffield (UK) on 3 June 2025. It discussed two parallel revisions of the Compilation of Technical Decisions to the Convention’s Annexes, which are still ongoing. It also reviewed the outcome of the 2025 Round Robin on Testing (RR 59, 60 & 61 on gold, silver and platinum) and the Round Robin on Marking (punch and laser marking of CCM type 1 and type 2). It discussed various RR-related issues such as the monitoring and the review of investigation reports. It also addressed an Assaying and Marking Practice (AMP) case by WaarborgHolland, which was discussed by the SC.
  • The Working Group on Vision and Strategy (WGVS) met virtually on 6 August 2025 and physically on 8 October 2025 in the afternoon in Larnaca. During these meetings, it reviewed the draft interpretation guide to the Convention (in particular the new interpretation of Article 5). It recommended to the SC the adoption of a guidance on conflict of interest and discussed the issue of legal personality as well the delegation of hallmarking.
  • The Working Group on the European Union (WGEU) met on 8 October 2025 in the morning in Larnaca and continued its discussions on the possible acceptance of the CCM by EU MS in light of the principle of mutual recognition. It also recommended to the SC to serve as a forum to clarify exchange on issues related to EU mutual recognition rules and reviewed a draft webpage on the Convention’s website, dedicated to EU matters.
  • The Working Group on Model Law (WGML) ended its mandate with the adoption of the new Model Law. The SC agreed on a new role for the WGML, which will be to assist non-Contracting States in adopting hallmarking regulations.
  • The Working Group on E-Commerce (WG E-COM) met twice virtually on 15 April and 9 September 2025. It discussed its mandate as well as surveys on the impact of the non-compliance of E-Commerce in the field of precious metal articles.

 

Technical Programme

The Standing Committee's Technical Programme (TP), which is an annual event consisting of presentations on contemporary issues related to precious metals control, was held on 10 October 2025. The TP was attended by around 70 participants from 31 countries. This includes speakers and guests, in particular the former SC Chairmen, David Evans (UK) and Ronald Le Bas (Ireland), as well as former SC Deputy Chairperson, Maria Magdalena Ulaczyk (Poland).

The TP’s facilitator was the SC Chairman, Scott Walter (Edinburgh Assay Office). The following presentations were given (followed by questions & answers): 

  • Cyprus Assay Office: 30 Years of History (Mr. Christos Kiayias, Cyprus Assay Office)
  • Fight Against Fake Brands and Labels: An Industry Perspective (Ms. Carole Aubert, Federation of Swiss Watch Industry, FH)
  • Gold Hallmarking by XRF: An Optimised Methodology (Mr. Dippal Manchanda, Birmingham Assay Office)
  • Fischer XRF* (Dr. Simone Dill, Helmut Fischer GmbH)
  • LBMA Proficiency Testing Scheme (Dr. Jonathan Jodry, Metalor)
  • Plating and Coatings: Regulatory Gaps, and the Role of Assay Offices in Consumer Protection (Mr. Dippal Manchanda, Birmingham Assay Office)
  • Nano-Fibres used as Adsorbent Substrates for the Recovery of Precious Metals (Theodora Krasia, University of Cyprus)

* including demonstration of latest Fischer XRF equipment