Subject: RE: MRA US-EU: Sectoral Annex Safety suspended
Dear Group, Having read the document given, can anybody explain what it means? You simple take the original terms and conditions and press the <Delete> key For the benefit of those that did not archive the original documents I will post a few Abstracts. Fortunately the CE Marking Directives were written BEFORE the MRA and therefore one simply reverts to what we were required to do before that date. The only comment that I would make is that some (if not all) Eu countries may increase their surveillance activities. This sounds like a queue for a presentation I shall be giving at the Austin (Tx) Product Safety Group entitled Preparing for the Economic Recovery - the SMART Use of Safety Files It will cover CONTENT How to write UL/CSA/CE Marking files, What MUST be in the LVD Technical File, Using report templates, working with subcontractors - working with prime contractors and OEM's Many CE Marking Technical Files are incomplete - so I will bring a sample of a completed CE Marking (LVD) Technical File and show how the UL Product Description can be used to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort. Prime contractors can spend an excessive amount of time monitoring sub-contractors - just as some sub-contractors could gain a competitive advantage by giving what their customer Needs. Many small companies will not embrace safety compliance processes as being too difficult - and loose opportunities. The presentation will be aimed at two interest groups: Large and Medium Sized companies with regulatory processes in place - this will help them harmonize documentation and to assess their sub-contract design and manufacture. Small companies that do not have formal compliance processes - this will help them demonstrate compliance to their (OEM) customers. I anyone wishes for further information of the presentation or the MRA we have set up a [email protected] account and forward information as it comes available. Best regards Gregg Gregg Kervill DipIM, MIMgt, MIEEE VP Engineering Test4Safety.com Inc PO Box 310, Reedville, VA 22539. USA Phone ( 804) 453-3141 Fax (804) 453-9039 http://www.test4safety.com/ Extracting from the MRA we have Article 2 PURPOSE OF THE AGREEMENT This Agreement specifies the conditions by which each Party will accept or recognize results of conformity assessment procedures, produced by the other Party's conformity assessment bodies or authorities, in assessing conformity to the importing Party's requirements, as specified on a sector-specific basis in the Sectoral Annexes, and to provide for other related cooperative activities. The objective of such mutual recognition is to provide effective market access throughout the territories of the Parties with regard to conformity assessment for all products covered under this Agreement. If any obstacles to such access arise, consultations will promptly be held. In the absence of a satisfactory outcome of such consultations, the Party alleging its market access has been denied, may, within 90 days of such consultation, invoke its right to terminate the Agreement in accordance with Article 21. Article 3 GENERAL OBLIGATIONS 1. The United States shall, as specified in the Sectoral Annexes, accept or recognize results of specified procedures, used in assessing conformity to specified legislative, regulatory, and administrative provisions of the United States, produced by the other Party's conformity assessment bodies and/or authorities. 2. The European Community and its Member States shall, as specified in the Sectoral Annexes, accept or recognize results of specified procedures, used in assessing conformity to specified legislative, regulatory and administrative provisions of the European Community and its Member States, produced by the other Party's conformity assessment bodies and/or authorities. 3. Where sectoral transition arrangements have been specified in Sectoral Annexes, the above obligations will apply following the successful completion of those sectoral transition arrangements, with the understanding that the conformity assessment procedures utilized assure conformity to the satisfaction of the receiving Party, with applicable legislative, regulatory and administrative provisions of that Party, equivalent to the assurance offered by the receiving Party's own procedures. There are then a series of EMC and Safety Annexes that specify the National Instruments (e.g. the LVD for EU ) The more useful article is (perhaps) this: Press Guidance -- Mutual Recognition Agreements Draft 6/13 * We are pleased today to announce the completion of a balanced package of Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) between the United States and the European Union recognizing product test, inspection or certification results required by both governments in six economic sectors and eliminating the need for duplicative testing or approval on both sides of the Atlantic, covering more than $50 billion in two-way trade. * The agreement not only facilitates market access between the US and the EU, but also creates a landmark formula to improve health and safety of consumers of all countries involved. The agreement took more than three years because we strove to ensure that a satisfactory balance was struck between achieving market access and assuring maximum health and safety of consumers. * The U.S. Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative in a broad private sector/public sector partnership worked with U.S. industry and U.S. regulatory agencies such as the FDA, FCC and the Department of Labor to ensure that valuable market access opportunities in the European Union were created. * The MRAs are a product of a new trans-Atlantic agenda that focuses on commercial interests of both the American and European private sectors. The Trans-Atlantic Business Dialogue (TABD) has been an important part of that process. The TABD is a unique U.S.-EU government-business partnership that generates business recommendations for removing barriers to transatlantic trade for direct consideration in the government decision-making process. * Acting upon suggestions from the TABD, the Clinton Administration engaged in a series of painstaking negotiations with the European Union to address problems for U.S. exporters complying with their testing and certification requirements. * Under the MRAs, governments agree to recognize the results of each others testing, inspections and other technical procedures. Simply put, the MRAs enable a company or regulatory authority as appropriate to test or inspect a product in its own market for part if not all of the technical requirements for market access in its own market. * For the first time, U.S. regulatory agencies have entered into a cooperative international agreement that simultaneously strives to reduce regulatory costs, expand market access and protect the health and safety of consumers on both sides of the Atlantic. From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2003 3:37 AM To: [email protected] As an instrument manufacturer selling products into both the US and EU do I need to panic over this, or can I ignore it and sleep peacefully in my bed at nights? Regards Ian D Unwin Servomex Group Limited ________________________________________________________________________ This email has been scanned for all viruses by the MessageLabs SkyScan service. 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