A study of the certification market in the Northern European service sector. Today, the service sector accounts for more than 2/3 of economic activity in most European countries. However, there is relatively little trade in services across national boundaries. The certification of services has the potential to become an important mechanism for assuring the quality both of the services themselves, and thus also the trade in these services. Studies of the certification schemes within the tangible goods sector conclude that the market for certification and marking in Europe is confused. It is often necessary to repeat certification of the same product in several countries, which involves trade barriers and extra costs for producers (especially SMEs). This also leads to confusion among consumers and less transparency in the markets.