Representatives of the Eurasian Economic Commission took part in the work of the 85th General Assembly of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) held in early October. At the meeting of the IEC Conformity Assessment Council, Viktor Nazarenko, Minister in charge of Technical Regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission, made a report on the system of admitting products to the Eurasian Economic Union’s market.
"The accumulated experience of cooperation between the Commission and the EAEU countries with leading international organizations in the field of standardization, metrology and accreditation will enable implementing the most efficient mechanisms for ensuring the safety and quality of products in the Union", noted EEC Minister Viktor Nazarenko.
Nowadays, the harmonization of standards implementing the requirements of the EAEU technical regulations for electrical products with international and European documents exceeds 80%. And in some areas, such as electromagnetic compatibility, it is 85%, low-voltage equipment - 98% and energy efficiency - 100%.
The Minister has noted that today the EAEU agrees an approach according to which the possibility of applying test results obtained in international certification systems, including the IEC, will be established for technically sophisticated low-voltage equipment and equipment for operation in explosive atmospheres.
Besides, he has stressed that the EAEU States negotiated arrangements on signing an Agreement on the procedure and conditions for eliminating technical barriers in mutual trade with third countries, which involves elaborating specific documents, including forming an agreed list of regulated products and a list of authorized conformity assessment bodies, the performance results of which will be mutually recognized.
"After its enactment, this International Treaty will be placed on a par with the Union’s fundamental documents, ensuring free circulation of products in the single market. Its implementation will contribute to increasing trade turnover between the Union Member States and potential partners from third countries as well as enable increasing export possibilities for the Union's goods", Viktor Nazarenko noted.
The EEC Minister also informed on temporary measures taken in the field of technical regulation and applied in certifying mass-produced products in light of the unfavorable epidemiological situation associated with spreading new coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
Besides, a bilateral meeting between Viktor Nazarenko, EEC Minister in charge of Technical Regulation, and Philip Metzger, IEC Secretary General, was held on October 2, where they discussed implementing the IEC standardization programs to achieve Sustainable Development Goals and reduce the carbon footprint in manufactured goods.
"Today, the countries are actively implementing national initiatives on climate conservation. The EAEU has adopted an agreed decision on forming a high-level Working Group to narrow positions between the Eurasian “five” countries within the climate agenda", the EEC Minister noted.
Philippe Metzger informed on the IEC activities on ensuring a clean, safe and efficient modern energy system that will help achieve carbon neutrality of the Paris Climate Agreement.
The possibility of assisting the IEC in practical application of its conformity assessment systems, including to countries not members of this organization, was noted as well.
Following the meeting, an arrangement was reached on deepening further cooperation between the Commission, the EAEU countries and the IEC, in particular on the expert support for implementing the practice of applying test results obtained in the IEC certification systems.