Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 1 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop Inter-American Mutual Recognition Agreement Overview Andrew Kwan Industry Canada

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 2 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop Map of MRA Coverage in the Americas Inter-American MRA 34 countries in the Americas

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 3 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop 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

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 4 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop Inter-American MRA Features 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

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 5 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop Inter-American MRA Features 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

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 6 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop Inter-American MRA Features Phased approaches Phase I - mutual recognition of test reports Phase II - mutual recognition of equipment certifications The Phases are independent of each other

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 7 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop Inter-American MRA Features 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

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 8 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop Inter-American MRA Features l Exporting Party designates CABs l Notification to importing Party l Recognition of CABs by importing Party

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 9 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop Inter-American MRA Scope l Equipment Scope - network terminal attachment and other equipment subject to telecommunication regulations: wireline, wireless equipment, terrestrial and satellite. l Telecom regulations - network terminal attachment, radio, Electro-Magnetic Compatibility and Electrical Safety

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 10 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop Inter-American MRA Coverage Telecommunications and Radiocommunication Electro- Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) Electrical Safety

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 11 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop 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.

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 12 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop Inter-American MRA Terminology (cont’d) 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.

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 13 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop 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.

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 14 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop 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

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 15 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop 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 is an acceptable alternative to accreditation to Guide 25.

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 16 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop 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.

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 17 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop 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.

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 18 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop 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

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 19 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop Inter-American MRA Notification and Recognition (Cont’d) Any Problems? No Yes Get Clarifications from the CAB or Accreditation Body Problem Resolved? YesNo Clarifications Relayed to the Foreign Regulatory Authority Party A Send Notification to the Foreign Regulatory Authority Designation Unsuccessful Foreign Regulatory Authority Informs Party A of its Recognition

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 20 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop 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

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 21 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop 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

Industry Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca Industrie Canada /strategis.ic.gc.ca 22 September 26, 2003, PCC.1 MRA Workshop THANK YOU