The 94th meeting of the Standing Committee (SC) was held in Rome, Italy, on 7 October 2026.
The meeting was preceded by three Working Group meetings. The Working Group on the European Union (WGEU) met on the morning of 6 October 2026, while the Working Group on Vision and Strategy (WGVS) and the Working Group on E-commerce (WG E-COM) met simultaneously in the afternoon (see Reports from the Working Groups below).
Opening
On behalf of Italy, Prof. Claudio Tomassini (Unioncamere) and Sara Lucherini (Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy) warmly welcomed the participants to Rome.
The meeting was attended by 63 officials representing 21 of the 22 Contracting States, 1 Applicant State (Ukraine), 3 Technical Programme Participants (Bosnia and Herzegovina, China, and North Macedonia), 1 Observer (Spain / KRISOS), 1 Partner Organisation (CIBJO) and 2 Non-Member States attending as guests (Estonia and France).
In his opening remarks, the SC Chairman, Scott Walter (Edinburgh Assay Office), thanked Italy, and in particular Prof. Tomassini, for co-organising the meeting, and arranging the accompanying social programme. He extended a special welcome to France, which had not participated in a SC meeting for several years, and to the new, incoming PMC Secretary, Zsófia Csizmadia.
The Chairman was assisted throughout the meeting by the First Deputy Chairman, Thomas Brodmann (Swiss Precious Metals Control), and the Second Deputy Chairman, Peters Brangulis (Assay Office of Latvia), who also chairs the Standing Technical Group (STG).
Operation of the Convention
The SC adopted the following documents and decisions:
- Guidance on Conflicts of Interest. The SC adopted guidance setting out key considerations for Contracting States when appointing representatives to the SC. The guidance aims to safeguard the integrity, impartiality and independence of the Convention by identifying potential conflicts of interest that could affect decision-making and governance.
- Interpretation Guide to the Convention. Recognising the need for the Convention to adapt to a rapidly changing environment, the SC adopted an Interpretation Guide to the Convention, which will replace the outdated “Explanatory Notes to the Convention”. The guide seeks to clarify the intentions underlying the Convention’s provisions and support their interpretation and application over time. This is also in line with the Convention’s new Vision and Strategy, in particular Strategy 1 on “Modernising the Convention”.
- Rules of Procedure. The SC revised its Rules of Procedure to implement the Convention’s new Vision and Strategy, in particular Strategy 2 on “Ensuring optimum representation in the SC” and to address matters relating to remote participation.
- CCM Statistics. The number of articles marked with the CCM in 2025 amounted to 6,433,619; this is 10.9% less than in 2024. 40.9% of all these articles were offsite marked. The half-year figures for 2026 show a 13.5% decrease reflecting very high prices for precious metals.
- Establishment of an association under Swiss law. Following formal notification by the Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme (PIC/S) of the termination of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2003 between the Convention and PIC/S concerning the administration, operation and financing of the Convention Secretariat, the SC agreed in principle to establish an association under Swiss law, the Precious Metal Control Association (PMCA). The proposed arrangement aims to ensure the uninterrupted operation of the SC and the continued provision of Secretariat services, with the objective of minimal additional cost. As an immediate follow-up, the Secretariat will issue a call for interested Convention Assay Offices (or any other Contracting State’s Competent Authority in the field of precious metal control) to participate in the drafting of PMCA’s statutes and to join the Association as Founding Members. These statutes should be adopted at a Founding Meeting to be organised in the course of 2027, alongside draft resolutions to be taken by the SC as well as a draft MoU between the SC and PMCA in order to define the future relationship between the two entities as well as the tasks subcontracted by the SC to the Association.
- Change of PMC Secretary. The SC bade farewell to the outgoing PMC Secretary, Daniele Brunner, and expressed its gratitude for his outstanding contribution to the Convention from 2000 to 2026. His dedicated leadership and exemplary service helped guide the Convention’s expansion and advance its mission. The SC welcomed his successor, Zsófia Csizmadia, who will become the new PMC Secretary on 1 November 2026. Ms Csizmadia has a background as lawyer and economist and worked as a diplomat for the past 12 years at the Permanent Mission of Hungary to the UN in Geneva.
The SC also reviewed the membership applications submitted by Sri Lanka, which was not represented at the meeting, and Ukraine, which was in attendance. In addition, the SC received an update on France’s intention to strengthen its relations with the Convention and on the latest developments concerning Spain.
Reports from the Working Groups
The SC reviewed the work carried out by the following three Working Groups:
- Working Group on the European Union (WGEU);
- Working Group on Vision and Strategy (WGVS); and
- Working Group on E-commerce (WG E-COM).
Working Group on the European Union
The WGEU discussed a working paper prepared by Prof. Claudio Tomassini (Italy/Unioncamere) examining the acceptance of the Convention on the Control and Marking of Articles of Precious Metals (CCM) by EU Member States in the context of the principle of mutual recognition. The WGEU agreed to revise the paper and submit it to the SC for further discussion and possible adoption.
Working Group on Vision and Strategy
The WGVS discussed the implications of the termination of the MoU with PIC/S and agreed to recommend that the SC approve, in principle, the establishment of an association under Swiss law.
The WGVS also discussed the Interpretation Guide to the Convention, the SC’s Rules of Procedure and the Guidance on Conflicts of Interest. It agreed to propose these documents for adoption with effect from 1 January 2027.
Working Group on E-commerce
The WG E-COM discussed the development of a listing standard for precious metal articles offered for sale through e-commerce platforms. It also exchanged views on compliance guidelines for the implementation of the standard and highlighted the importance of raising consumer awareness and fostering engagement with consumer organisations.
Standing Technical Group
The Second Deputy Chairman and STG Chairman, Peters Brangulis (Assay Office of Latvia), reported on the 39th STG meeting, held by videoconference on 12 February 2026, and the 40th STG meeting, held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 13 May 2026. Both meetings focused on two revisions of the Technical Decisions, which were conducted in parallel and adopted on 26 November 2025 (with entry into force on 1 December 2025) and 25 September 2026 (with entry into force on 1 October 2026), as well as on matters relating to the Round Robin (RR), the Convention’s interlaboratory proficiency testing scheme for precious metals.
The STG Deputy Co-Chair, Katarzyna Nadara (Polish Regional Assay Office in Warsaw), presented the results of RR 62 (gold) and RR 63 (silver), which were organised during the first half of 2026.
The SC noted the alloy compositions for RR 64, RR 65 and RR 66, covering gold, silver and palladium, respectively, which are scheduled to take place during the first half of 2027.
The SC approved a new approach to reviewing the independence of authorised Assay Offices through the introduction of a Risk-Based, State-Assured System and a National Assurance System Description.
The SC also considered an Assaying and Marking Practice (AMP) case submitted by the Vicenza Assay Office (Laboratorio Saggio Metalli Preziosi – Made in Vicenza). The case concerned the admissibility, for technical purposes, of a non-visible polymer wire inside hollow precious metal bracelets, necklaces and earrings. The SC decided to refer the matter to the STG for further discussion, as the matter is likely to set an important precedent, if adopted.
Cooperation with CIBJO
The SC noted that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Convention and the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) had been signed by the SC Chairman and the President of CIBJO, following prior written consultation with the SC.
Dr Gaetano Cavalieri, President of CIBJO, introduced the organisation, which was established in Paris in 1926 and thus celebrated its 100th anniversary.
The SC’s ad hoc representative to CIBJO, Prof. Claudio Tomassini (Italy), presented reports on the two most recent CIBJO congresses, held in Paris, France, on 27 October 2025 and in Vicenza, Italy, on 4 September 2026.
In accordance with the MoU, the SC appointed Prof. Claudio Tomassini (Italy) as its designated representative to CIBJO for a renewable term of two years.
Next SC Meetings
The next SC meeting will take place in Geneva, Switzerland, on 10 March 2027. It will be held in a hybrid format, allowing for remote participation, and will be scheduled back-to-back with the Working Group meetings.
The SC will next meet in person in Dublin, Ireland, on 6 October 2027, back-to-back with a Technical Programme Seminar (TPS) the following day.