EUROPEAN ACCEPTANCE OF NIST-RECOMMENDED CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT BODIES (CABs).

The European Commission has accepted NIST designations of 33 CABs for full operation under the Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) and Telecommunications Equipment annexes of the U.S.-European Union (EU) Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA), culminating 2 years of effort. Formal signature of both parties and the formal recognition of the U.S. and EU Telecom and EMC CABs was expected prior to the U.S.-EU Summit in December 2000. The CABs of both parties may then begin testing or approving products within their scope of accreditation and designation.

The U.S.-EU MRA, signed on Dec. 3, 1998, facilitates trade by allowing manufacturers the opportunity to bring products to market in a more timely fashion. It covers multiple sectors, including equipment subject to mandatory telecommunications and EMC regulations. For telecommunications and EMC, the agreement allows CABs in the territory of one party to test and approve equipment subject to the mandatory regulations of the other party. After a 2 year transition period in the agreement to allow time for regulatory changes and confidence-building, NIST nominated and the EU has accepted, 23 U.S. EMC Competent Bodies and 10 U.S. Notified Bodies.