RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/TBT/W/57
20October 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-4559)
Committee onTechnical Barriers toTrade Original: English
REQUEST FOR OBSERVER STATUS BY
THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OFLEGAL METROLOGY (OIML)
ThefollowingcommunicationhasbeenreceivedfromtheDirectoroftheInternationalOrganization
ofLegal Metrology (OIML) requesting observer status intheWTO Committee onTechnical Barriers
toTrade.
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Background
1. TheInternational Organization ofLegal Metrology (OIML) isanintergovernmental organization
established more thanfortyyears agowiththeaimofcoordinating, harmonizing anddeveloping thelegal
metrology activities ofitsmembers, i.e.theregularity controls applying tomeasuring instruments used
inthefields oftrade, health, safety andenvironment.
2. Inthisconnection, themain taskoftheOIML istoharmonize thenational legal metrology
regulations; thisactivity contributes totheelimination oftechnical barriers totrade concerning notonly
themeasuring instruments themselves butalsomany products andservices ofwhich thecommercial value
isfixed onthebasis ofquantitative andqualitative measurements.
3. Thisharmonizationisobtainedthroughthedevelopmentandthepublicationof"OIMLInternational
Recommendations" which, forgiven categories ofmeasuring instruments, specify themetrological
performances tobemetandthetesting procedures.
4. Following ourcooperation withtheformer GATT, these OIML International Recommendations
were considered as"International Standards" intheframework ofthe"GATT Code ofStandards".
5. Thedevelopment ofOIML International Recommendations ismade inclosecooperation withother
international organizations, inparticular thestandardization bodies which areISOandIEC; cooperation
agreements withISOandIECaimateliminating divergences andredundancies withthepossibility of
mutual references and,when appropriate, ofdeveloping jointpapers.
6. Iwould likealsotopoint outthatOIML activity iscarried outwithout discrimination concerning
thevarious countries oftheworld which mayjointheOIML asfullMember States (andthusactively
participate inourwork) orasCorresponding Members forthosecountries which cannot yetfullyparticipate
inthiswork. OIML presently includes almost 100Member States andCorresponding Members. In
addition,throughitscooperationwithseveralregionalorganizations,manyothercountriesarekeptinformed
ofOIML activities.
7. Wehave alsorecently established asystem forissuing conformity certificates topatterns of
measuring instruments which comply withourInternational Recommendations; thisCertificate System
aimsatreducing therepetition ofnational testing through avoluntary acceptance oftestresults already
obtained inother Member States.
8. Lastbutnotleast, wehaveanactivity infavour ofdeveloping countries inorder toassist them
intheestablishment ofappropriate metrological infrastructures.