In December 1998, the
United States Trade Representative (USTR) proposed to the European Commission
(EC) the negotiation of a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) on marine equipment
under the Transatlantic Economic Partnership. The goal of the MRA is to allow a
manufacturer to reach multiple markets on the basis of compliance with one set
of regulatory requirements instead of multiple ones, as would be the case
without the MRA. This will directly
lead to a reduction of costs for manufacturers in terms of testing and
certification. Negotiations on an
agreement began in late 1999. The
Lifesaving & Fire Safety Standards Division (G-MSE-4) worked in close
cooperation with USTR to develop the product scope based on a detailed
product-by-product review of the U.S. and EC marine equipment requirements.
Many of the U.S. and EC marine equipment requirements are
based on standards and testing specified by the Safety of Life At Sea Convention
(SOLAS). Of all the equipment items that were
considered, only products having identical or equivalent requirements in each
market were included in the scope of the agreement. The initial MRA product scope includes
43 products in three main categories: life saving equipment (e.g. visual
distress signals, marine evacuation systems); fire protection equipment (e.g.
fire doors, insulation); and navigational equipment (e.g., compasses, GPS
equipment, echo-sounding equipment).
Negotiations on this
important mutual recognition agreement between the US and the EC were concluded
in June 2003. The MRA on marine
equipment is a result of a 5-year cooperative effort that recognizes the
importance of facilitating U.S. - EC trade in marine equipment and promoting
bilateral cooperation on international marine equipment regulations. The final version of the MRA was signed
on February 27th, 2004 and it entered into force on July 1,
2004. |