Issuing Authorities: Why participate in the MAA, and how?

The implementation of the MAA started in January 2005
and is a strategic issue for OIML Issuing Authorities
as well as for national type approval bodies

What are the stakes for OIML Issuing Authorities?

The Declarations of Mutual Confidence (DoMCs) will result in setting up groups of OIML Issuing Authorities whose competence, impartiality and quality has been assessed and recognized by the signatories of these DoMCs.

The OIML Issuing Authorities may continue to issue OIML Certificates without being recognized in a DoMC during a period which will be determined category by category by the CIML. However by participating in a DoMC an Issuing Authority can give to his clients more confidence in its quality.

During this transition period, there will be two sorts of OIML Issuing Authorities and two sorts of OIML Certificates and Test Reports:

those which are accepted in a DoMC,
the others.

No doubt that Certificates which are not covered by a DoMC will progressively cease to be issued.

It may be considered by the CIML that for a category, after a period, only the Certificates which are issued under a DoMC will continue to exist. This will be discussed category by category, but this is likely to happen. In this case the participation in a DoMC would become a condition to remain an OIML Issuing Authority.

What are the stakes for national type approval bodies?

The present OIML Certificate System is utilized in several bilateral or Regional recognition agreements. Participation in a DoMC is not necessary for running these agreements. However the participation in DoMCs may bring two additional elements:

it can be considered in the existing agreements, as it gives evidence of competence, impartiality and quality, and it may facilitate, in these agreements, full recognition of Certificates;
it extends geographically the existing agreements, by establishing an acceptance of test results among all DoMCs' participants.

The implementation of the MAA will not replace the existing agreements, which may be more binding than the MAA and which may cover the recognition of the Certificates themselves (that the MAA does not cover) or the recognition of national type approvals. But the MAA may be an additional tool for the operation of these agreements.

In most countries, type approval bodies have facilities for testing usual instruments, but these facilities may be insufficient for testing extreme conditions (high range instruments, extreme temperatures or pressions, etc.). Utilizing test results issued by other countries' Issuing Authorities may be a means to complement the national capabilities when necessary.

The WTO TBT Agreement makes it an obligation to take account of conformity assessment results obtained in other countries and to participate in international conformity assessment and recognition systems. Participating in the DoMCs answers this requirement.

What are the conditions for joining a DoMC?

Signatories a DoMC may be the following:

From Member States: Participants
- OIML Issuing Authorities (1)
- National Responsible Bodies / National Issuing Authorities (2)
From Corresponding Members: Associates
- National Responsible bodies / National Issuing Authorities (2)

(1)

OIML Issuing Authorities who sign a DoMC will issue OIML Certificates and Test Reports that will be accepted by other signatories, and will accept Test Results issued by other participating OIML Issuing Authorities under the conditions of this DoMC.

(2)

National Responsible Bodies are official Legal Metrology Authorities who may utilize OIML Certificates and Test Reports to grant legal authorization of marketing a measuring instrument.

National Issuing Authorities are national Legal Metrology bodies who may utilize OIML Certificates and Test Reports to issue a national type approval certificate.

These types of signatories declare that they intend to accept test results issued by participating OIML Issuing Authorities under the conditions of this DoMC.

Notes:

An OIML Issuing Authority may be at the same time a National Responsible body and/or a National Issuing Authority.
An OIML Issuing Authority may participate to issue and accept test results, or only to accept test results.

The conditions to accede to a Declaration of Mutual Confidence are the following:

For National Responsible bodies and National Issuing Authorities: to be willing to accept and utilize test results and to declare it by signing;
For OIML Issuing Authorities, in order to issue Certificates and test reports under the DoMC:
- to provide information on their capabilities, competence, impartiality and quality, as specified in the MAA Document,
- to undergo accreditation or/and peer assessment,
- to be accepted by all other participants,
- to pay the fees decided by the 12th OIML Conference.