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Valentin Tataritsky: "It is important to deepen the Eurasian integration in ensuring the uniformity of measurement”
On April 9-10 in Minsk, Valentin Tataritsky, Minister in charge of Technical Regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission, took part in the international scientific and technical conference "Metrology 2024", dedicated to the 100th anniversary of establishing the Belarusian Chamber of Weights and Measures.
More than 200 representatives of the metrology community from nine countries, including the Eurasian Economic Union States, discussed the issues of determining the prospects of metrology development, expanding the ways of interaction and cooperation, promoting quality improvement, introducing the metrology achievements in the real economy and others.
"The technical regulation forms the basis of the Eurasian integration, where ensuring the uniformity of measurements predetermines the feasibility of taking certain technical measures," the EEC Minister noted.
Tataritsky emphasized that more than eight years had passed since the adoption of metrological procedures, so there was a practical need for their adjustment. The Commission jointly with the EAEU States ensured the elaboration and approval of a number of amendments to the Treaty on the Union. In particular, the updated versions of the terms "national standard" and "reference quantity value" have been elaborated. They are included in the "Third Major" Protocol on amendments to the Treaty on the Union, which has already been signed and is at the stage of ratification by the EAEU countries.
A number of terminological adjustments in the metrological block are envisaged by the "Fourth Major" Protocol on amendments to the Treaty of the Union ("metrological traceability" and "standard sample"), which undergoes the internal legal procedures in the Member States. The draft "Fourth Major" Protocol also includes amendments that will regulate the possibility of single-source procurement in truly justified cases, which is of utmost importance for metrologists. This entails the procurement of goods for comparisons, verification, calibration of measurement unit standards and measuring instruments from the measurement standards, as well as the procurement of reference materials by testing laboratories carrying out works for compliance with the Union's regulations.
In order to find the reason of low demand for the Union Procedures for conducting metrological works on the example of the most demanded metrological procedure – type approval, a pilot project on perfecting the mechanism of admission of measuring instruments (MI) for use within the EAEU is implemented within the Union. The project participants include Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. The basic and the most in-demand MIs were selected for implementing the "pilot": electric power meters, non-automatic scales, heat meters, flow meters, and ultrasonic current transformers. To date, tests for type approval and verification of selected measuring instruments have already been completed in the Union countries participating in the pilot project. The project results have been discussed so far by the Working Group on updating the Union's law in the field of ensuring the uniformity of measurements. The results of the work carried out in Russia were considered on February 22, and the Belarusian results are scheduled to be considered on April 18. Then the dates for discussing the Armenian and Kyrgyz results will be determined.
The EEC Minister has noted that the main problem of low demand for the Union Procedures for conducting metrological works is that without recognizing the approved type of measuring instruments in at least one Member State the type approval certificate will not be issued to the applicant. Accordingly, it is necessary to regulate the problem of issuing such a certificate when the metrological procedure results are not recognized by all the Union countries. For this purpose, the pilot project participants have worked out appropriate solutions.
According to Valentin Tataritsky, de facto development of the uniformity of measurements in these spheres is already underway. Along with that, the preparation of relevant amendments to the Treaty on the Union is being discussed today by the Commission. For example, three draft recommendations are being elaborated today in cooperation with metrologists and energy specialists from all the EAEU States. These are general approaches to measuring the quantity and quality parameters of electric power, oil and gas in the Union's common markets.Despite the creation of the EAEU unified system of technical regulation, the Commission jointly with the Union countries still has a lot to do to ensure the uniformity of measurements. The EEC Minister is convinced: "The current stage of integration development in ensuring the uniformity of measurements has objective need to expand the areas in which this line should be developed. Nowadays, many people realize the need for a coordinated policy in such areas as the Union's common energy market, the Union's common market for medical products and medicines, the application of veterinary and phytosanitary measures, trade and the social sphere".
The Eurasian Economic Commission takes an active position in discussing and developing various initiatives and scenarios aimed at deepening integration processes, including in the field of ensuring the uniformity of measurements. "An active dialogue with the Union countries' authorized bodies on forming an action plan for the Declaration on further development of the EAEU until 2030 and for the period until 2045 is conducted at the Commission's platform. We invite the Union States' metrology community to become more actively involved in this discussion," the EEC Minister suggested. "The issue is very important, and in its solution we should rely on a whole set of internal and external factors, and proceed from complex tasks, including those aimed at protecting the market from unsafe products and creating favourable conditions for developing the Union's business".On April 9, there was a working meeting between Valentin Tataritsky and Alexander Rogozhnik, Minister of Industry of the Republic of Belarus. They discussed relevant matters related to the functioning of the electronic passport systems for vehicles (vehicle chassis), self-propelled machines and other types of machinery. Arrangements were reached to further improve information exchange in this field. The topic is scheduled to be discussed at the next meeting of the Commission's Council on April 12.
