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• Mutual Recognition Arrangement

• APEC EE MRA
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APEC uses an approach know as Pathfinder Initiatives to enable Member Economies to pilot the implementation of cooperative initiatives prior to their adopting by all APEC Member Economies. This means APEC Members Economies who want to move faster in specific areas can do so, stimulating progress towards the free trade and investment goals.

The APEC Arrangement was adopted as a Pathfinder Initiative in the 10th APEC Economic Leaders' Declaration. The objective of this Arrangement is to facilitate trade in regulated electrical and electronic equipment. Member Economies that use a mandatory third party conformity assessment system as part of their regulatory framework are encouraged to use this arrangement for the mutual recognition of conformity assessment in order to reduce costs and delays of duplicative reviews by the importing Participating Member Economies. In particular, Participating Member Economies will recognise test reports and certificates of conformity issued by designated test facilities and conformity assessment bodies in the other Participating member Economies' in the same manner in which they recognise test reports and product certification issued by test facilities and conformity assessment bodies in their own economy.

The Arrangement comprises of three parts:

• Part I: Information Exchange - deals with the scope, general principles and administration of the Arrangement as a whole;
• Part II: Mutual Recognition of Test Reports - sets out the general principles relating to the acceptance of test reports and mechanisms for participating in the Part; and
• Part III: Mutual Recognition of Certification - sets out the general principles for the mutual recognition of certificates of conformation and the mechanisms for participating in this Part.

The table below shows the current Participating Member Economies as of 30 June 2004.