InterAmerican Mutual Recognition Agreement Overview

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Inter-AmericanMutual Recognition
AgreementOverview
Andrew Kwan Industry Canada
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Map of MRA Coverage in the Americas

• Inter-American MRA
• 34 countries
• in the Americas

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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

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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

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Inter-American MRAFeatures

• Focus on two main activities testing and
  certification
• Products tested by exporting country to importing
  countrys requirements and accepted by importing
  country
• Products certified by exporting country to
  importing countrys requirements and accepted by
  importing country

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Inter-American MRAFeatures

• Phased approaches
• Phase I - mutual recognition of test reports
• Phase II - mutual recognition of equipment
  certifications
• The Phases are independent of each other

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Inter-American MRAFeatures

• 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

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Inter-American MRAFeatures

• Exporting Party designates CABs
• Notification to importing Party
• Recognition of CABs by importing Party

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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

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Inter-American MRA Coverage
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Inter-American MRA Terminology

• Party means a member state that chooses to
• participate in the MRA.
• Technical Regulations means those
• technical requirements, legislative and
• regulatory provisions, and Administrative
• Arrangements that a Party has specified under
• the Phase I or Phase II Procedures pertaining
• to the registration, testing or certification of
• equipment with respect to which compliance is
• mandatory.

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Inter-American MRA Terminology (contd)

• Designation means the act by a Designating
• Authority of designating a CAB to perform
• Conformity Assessment Procedures under an
• MRA.
• 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 activities
• concerned with determining directly or indirectly
• that relevant requirements are fulfilled.

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Inter-American MRA Terminology (contd)

• Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) means a body,
  which may include a third party or a suppliers
  testing laboratory, or a certification body, that
  performs conformity assessment to an importing
  Partys 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.

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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

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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.

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Inter-American MRA

• Requirements for Testing laboratories (contd)
• 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.

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Inter-American MRA

• Requirements 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.

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Inter-American MRA

• Notification and Recognition
• Notification occurs when one countrys regulatory
  authority notifies the regulatory authority of an
  MRA partner that it has designated a CAB to
  perform testing or certification to that
  countrys requirements
• Recognition means acceptance of a designated CAB
  by the foreign regulatory authority

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Inter-American MRA Notification and Recognition
(Contd)
Party A Send Notification to the Foreign
Regulatory Authority
Any Problems?
Get Clarifications from the CAB or Accreditation
Body
Clarifications Relayed to the Foreign Regulatory
Authority
Yes
No
Problem Resolved?
Foreign Regulatory Authority Informs Party A
of its Recognition
Designation Unsuccessful
Yes
No
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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

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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

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