APEC Electrical and Electronic Equipment Mutual Recognition Arrangement (EEMRA)

Electrical and Electronic Equipment Standards

Pathfinder Initiative: Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Conformity Assessment of Electrical and Electronic Equipment

In 1996, building on the preceding work on the Food and Food Products MRA, the SCSC agreed to concentrate on the electronic and electric equipment sector as the next priority area to develop a MRA. In 1997, an ad hoc Expert Working Group of the SCSC began the work on the Electrical and Electronic Equipment MRA (EEMRA). The SCSC endorsed the final text of the EEMRA, the Terms of Reference for the EEMRA Joint Advisory Committee (JAC, renamed to the Joint Regulatory Advisory Committee or JRAC in 2009), and the Implementation Guide for EEMRA in 1999. The objective of the EEMRA is to enable mutual recognition of conformity assessment with a view to facilitating trade in regulated electrical and electronic equipment between member economies. The EEMRA allows for three levels of participation to cater for the different capabilities of member economies’ technical infrastructure and administrative requirements. Currently, 18 member economies participate in Part I of the EEMRA, 5 member economies in Part II, and 4 member economies in Part III.

APEC Electrical and Electronic Equipment Mutual Recognition Arrangement (EEMRA)

The Electrical and Electronic Equipment Mutual Recognition Arrangement (EEMRA) is intended to apply to all instances, both pre- and post-market, where test reports or certification are used as the basis for regulatory compliance with respect to electrical and electronic equipment.

For regulators, the EEMRA ensures that comprehensive information relating to member economies' regulatory regimes are available to manufacturers, thereby improving compliance with regulatory requirements. The MRA also provides a 'local' contact should further information be required.

For manufacturers, the EEMRA allows product development, testing, certification, inspection and approval to be obtained within the manufacturers' economy thereby reducing 'time to market,' testing and certification costs. By having mutual recognition of test reports and certification by designated testing and certification bodies respectively, duplicate testing and certification can be avoided when products are being exported to numerous markets.

The EEMRA has three parts reflecting the different levels of participation:

Part I: Information interchange

Information about a participating APEC Member Economy's mandatory requirements on regulated electrical and electronic products is provided in a standardized format to assist those in other APEC Member Economies who may wish to export electrical and electronic products to that economy. At present, 17 Member Economies are participants in Part I of the MRA.

Part II: Acceptance of test reports

Part II of the MRA commits participating APEC Member Economies to mutually accept test reports produced by testing facilities designated by participating economies in accordance with the designation requirements of the EE MRA. The designation requirements are in accordance with the relevant ISO/IEC Standards and do not require re-testing.

Part III: Acceptance of certification

Part III commits a participating importing APEC economy to accept product certification (including batch testing) produced by certification bodies designated by participating exporting economies in accordance with the designation requirements of the EE MRA. The designation requirements are in accordance with the relevant ISO/IEC Guide. Certification bodies may issue product certificates (Certificate of Conformity), which are acceptable in participating importing economies, thus negating the need to re-certify the product.