Industry Canada http:/ /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada http:/ /strategis.ic.gc.ca 1 September...

Industry Canada http:/ /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada http:/ /strategis.ic.gc.ca

1September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop

Inter-AmericanMutual Recognition Agreement

Overview

Andrew Kwan

Industry Canada



Map of MRA Coverage in the Americas

Inter-American MRA• 34 countries in the Americas



Inter-American MRA (CITEL)

• Approved by CITEL PCC.1, November 1999

• Endorsed by COM/CITEL, December 1999• Non-binding, agreement• Similar to APEC TEL MRA• Multilateral, telecom, radio, EMC, and

electrical safety• Implementation to begin in 2000



Inter-American MRAFeatures

• Non binding - does not create legally binding obligations

• Member States can enter into legally binding obligations by exchange of letters incorporating the MRA

• Member States to notify CITEL secretariat of their dates of participation




• Focus on two main activities: testing and certification

• Products tested by exporting country to importing country’s requirements and accepted by importing country

• Products certified by exporting country to importing country’s requirements and accepted by importing country




• Phased approaches• Phase I - mutual recognition of test

reports• Phase II - mutual recognition of equipment

certifications• The Phases are independent of each other




• Use of Conformity Assessment Bodies CABs (testing laboratories and certification bodies)

• Regulatory authorities to designate their own CABs to test or certify to their MRA partners’ requirements




Exporting Party designates CABs

Notification to importing Party

Recognition of CABs by importing Party



Inter-American MRAScope

Equipment Scope - network terminal attachment and other equipment subject to telecommunication regulations: wireline, wireless equipment, terrestrial and satellite.

Telecom regulations - network terminal attachment, radio, Electro-Magnetic Compatibility and Electrical Safety



Inter-American MRA Coverage

Telecommunicationsand

Radiocommunication

Electro-Magnetic

Compatibility(EMC)

ElectricalSafety



Inter-American MRA Terminology

Party means a member state that chooses toparticipate in the MRA.

Technical Regulations means thosetechnical requirements, legislative andregulatory provisions, and AdministrativeArrangements that a Party has specified underthe Phase I or Phase II Procedures pertainingto the registration, testing or certification ofequipment with respect to which compliance ismandatory.



Inter-American MRA Terminology (cont’d)

Designation means the act by a DesignatingAuthority of designating a CAB to performConformity Assessment Procedures under anMRA.

Accreditation means procedure by which an authoritative body gives formal recognition that a body or person is competent to carry out specific tasks.

Conformity Assessment means any activitiesconcerned with determining directly or indirectlythat relevant requirements are fulfilled.



Inter-American MRA Terminology (cont’d)

Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) means a body, which may include a third party or a supplier’s testing laboratory, or a certification body, that performs conformity assessment to an importing Party’s Technical Regulations.

Certification means a procedure by which a third party gives written assurance that a product, process, or service conforms to specify requirements.

Approval /Homologation means permission for a product, process or service to be marketed or used for stated purposes or under stated conditions.



Inter-American MRA

Designation Requirements for Conformity Assessment Bodies (CAB):

• 2 types of CABs - testing laboratories (Phase I) and certification bodies (Phase II)

• Designating Authority can only designate CABs within its own territory

• Designating Authority can designate CABs accredited by accreditation bodies from other Parties

• Use of ISO/IEC Guides on conformity assessment



Inter-American MRA

Requirements for testing laboratories

Accreditation under the MRAs is to be to ISO/IEC Guide 25: 1990, General requirements for the competence of calibration and testing laboratories. ISO/IEC Guide 25 has now been superceded by the standard ISO/IEC 17025: 1999 (same title). Accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 is an acceptable alternative to accreditation to Guide 25.



Inter-American MRA

Requirements for Testing laboratories (cont’d)

• Bodies that accredit testing laboratories should be peer-evaluated (private sector) or should comply to "the greatest extent possible" (government accreditors) with ISO/IEC Guide 58: 1993, Calibration and testing laboratory accreditation systems - General requirements for operation and recognition.



Inter-American MRARequirements for Certification Bodies

• Accreditation under the MRAs is to be to ISO/IEC Guide 65: 1996, General requirements for bodies operating product certification systems

• Bodies that accredit certification bodies should be peer-evaluated (private sector) or should comply to "the greatest extent possible" (government accreditors) with ISO/IEC Guide 61: 1996, General requirements for assessment and accreditation of certification / registration bodies.



Notification and Recognition

• Notification occurs when one country’s regulatory authority notifies the regulatory authority of an MRA partner that it has designated a CAB to perform testing or certification to that country’s requirements

• Recognition means acceptance of a designated CAB by the foreign regulatory authority

Inter-American MRA



Inter-American MRA Notification and Recognition (Cont’d)

Any Problems?

No

Yes Get Clarificationsfrom theCAB or

Accreditation Body

ProblemResolved?

Yes No

ClarificationsRelayed to the

Foreign Regulatory Authority

Party A Send Notificationto the Foreign Regulatory

Authority

DesignationUnsuccessful

Foreign Regulatory Authority

Informs Party A ofits Recognition



Inter-American MRA

Implementation

• Member States to notify CITEL secretariat

of dates of participation.

• PCC.1 Working Group on Certification

Process and MRA is responsible for

Implementation

• Joint Committee to be formed to resolve

implementation problems and to assist in

dispute resolution



Inter-American MRA

Implementation

• Membership of Joint Committee limited to

participating member states

• Cooperation with APEC TEL MRA Task

Force in implementation

• Central Database to collect and store

data from implementation



THANK YOU

Industry Canada http:/ /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada http:/ /strategis.ic.gc.ca 1 September...

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