The following announcement appeared in the "NIST Update" of 5 January 1998. If you want to be on their mailing list, see their web page at:
http://www.nist.gov --- quoting --- First Step Taken Toward Mutual Recognition for U.S., Pacific Nations A new cooperative effort by laboratory accreditation organizations in the United States and in five Asian Pacific nations has taken the first step toward saving American companies millions of dollars in reduced market entry costs for exports. The effort, defined by a mutual recognition arrangement signed in Tokyo in November, may lead to a binding Mutual Recognition Agreement (known as an MRA) between the nations in which the laboratory accreditation organizations reside. Under the current arrangement, the organizations themselves recognize the technical equivalence of test reports and calibration certificates issued by any of their accredited laboratories. Mutual recognition significantly lowers costs for U.S. companies because products need only be tested once, in the United States, to meet standards set by other countries. The organizations signing the arrangement are members of the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation from Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, Chinese Taipei and the United States. All of the signatory organizations reside in nations which are members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. The arrangement supports the World Trade Organization obligations of the United States and other members to simplify conformity assessment procedures, such as testing and accreditation, and to prevent them from becoming barriers to trade. It is hoped that other APEC accreditation bodies will qualify to sign the APLAC arrangement and a subsequent MRA in the near future. --- end quote --- Comment - conspicuously missing from this agreement is Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Eric Lifsey National Instruments
