ASEAN Cooperation on Standards and Conformity Assessment is undertaken mainly through the ASEAN Consultative Committee for Standards and Quality (ACCSQ), which was formed by the ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) at their 24^th meeting in Manila, Philippines on 22-23 October 1992. Two years later, in September 1994, ACCSQ was formally accepted by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as the regional standards organization for Southeast Asia.

The main ACCSQ objective is to facilitate the removal of Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) among ASEAN Member Countries to expand intra- and extra-ASEAN trade. The ACCSQ program was further strengthened by the Sixth ASEAN Summit in 1998, which in the Hanoi Plan of Action directed ACCSQ to:

i)                    harmonise product standards through alignment with international standards for products in priority sectors by the year 2000 and for regulated products by the year 2005;

 ii)                   Implement the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs)by developing sectoral MRAs in priority sectors beginning in 1999;

iii)                 Enhance the technical infrastructure and competency in laboratory testing, calibration, certification and accreditation by the year 2005 based on internationally accepted procedures and guides;

iv)                 Strengthen information networking on standards and technical regulations through the use of among others, the Internet, with the aim of meeting the requirements of the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to trade and WTO Agreement on the application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures.

PROGRESS MADE IN ASEAN COOPERATION ON STANDARDS AND CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT

The progress made in this area of cooperation could be summarized based on the four areas as stated in the Hanoi Plan of Action for standards and conformity assessment.

 
I.          HARMONIZATION OF PRODUCT STANDARDS 

Standards harmonization in ASEAN started with 20 priority product groups that are widely traded in ASEAN. The 20 product groups are:

The harmonization of standards for these product groups is carried out through alignment of national standards with relevant international standards such as International Organization for Standardization (ISO), International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and International Telecommunications Union (ITU) standards. 58 relevant international standards were identified and considered by ACCSQ.

To facilitate the realization of the e-ASEAN initiative, ACCSQ agreed to embark on harmonization of another 72 standards for safety and 10 standards for Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC). This move was welcomed by the AEM and AFTA Council at their meeting in Chiang Mai in October 2000. Efforts are being taken to expedite the harmonization work.

 II.                            MUTUAL RECOGNITION ARRANGEMENTS (MRAs)

The ASEAN Economic Ministers signed in April 2002 the ASEAN Sectoral Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Electrical and Electronic Equipment.  This MRA is expected to significantly reduce the cost of doing business in electronic and electrical equipment by enabling an ASEAN member country to recognize the testing and certification conducted in the country of origin or in another member country.

With this agreement, the entry of electronics and electrical equipment manufactured in one ASEAN country will no longer be subject to testing and certification in the country of importation. It will mean lower costs for ASEAN traders.

Electrical and electronic equipment accounts for a very significant share of intra-ASEAN trade, which has grown from 30 percent in 1993 to almost 40 percent today.  Electrical and electronic equipment assembly plants are expected to greatly benefit from this trade facilitation scheme. 

The introduction of MRAs will be accompanied by adequate consumer protection measures ensuring that only products that meet safety requirements and are truthfully labelled according to the exporting country�s regulations can be imported.  The development and implementation of the sectoral MRAs will also serve as a forum for ASEAN regulatory agencies to exchange experiences and work towards better regulatory practices.  The ASEAN Framework Agreement on MRAs requires all participating conformity assessment bodies to demonstrate their technical competency.

The ASEAN Framework Agreement on MRAs, signed in December 1998 during the Sixth ASEAN Summit, provided the basis for the negotiations of MRAs for specific sectors, beginning with electrical and electronic equipment, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications equipment and prepared foodstuff.  The Agreement on ASEAN Harmonized Cosmetic Regulatory Scheme is being finalized for possible signing by the end of 2002.

 III.       ENHACING TECHNICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMPETENCY

Technical infrastructure and competency is one of important conditions for conclusion and implementation of any mutual recognition.  

Member Countries have been working to build up technical confidence among testing laboratories and certification bodies. They also assist each other in participating in various regional and international forums/specialized bodies.

A number of projects to address infrastructure needs are carried out under specific sectors such as Cosmetics, Electrical and Electronic equipment and Pharmaceuticals.

IV.    TRANSPARENCY OF STANDARDS AND REGULATIONS 

An important part of elimination of technical barriers to trade is to make regulations transparent, accessible to all parties concerned. The following are some activities in terms of information exchange and transparency of standards and regulations in ASEAN:

1.         Directory of Contact Points for Standards and Technical Information

2.         ASEAN Standards and Conformance Homepages

3.         ASEAN Standards and Quality Bulletin

4.         Directory of Certified Products/Companie

5.         Directory of testing/calibration services

6.         Standards Catalogues

7.         Comparative Study on Cosmetic Regulations

8.         Comparative Study on Pharmaceutical Regulations

9.         Regulatory regimes for electrical and electronic equipment

A number of seminars on Product Certification Schemes in ASEAN have been conducted. The product certification schemes in ASEAN Member Countries have been published to make the requirements transparent for wider use. The Guideline for Harmonizing Standards based on International Standards has also been developed and published by ACCSQ. An information networking is being implemented to share information among Member Countries on the matters related to standards and conformity assessment.

 V.        COOPERATION WITH OTHER PARTNERS AND ORGANIZATIONS

ACCSQ actively conducts consultations and undertakes collaborative programmes/projects with its counterparts from METI-Japan, EU, USA and CER.

Cooperation with METI (Japan) 

The Total Quality Management (TQM) Project with MITI (Japan) � Phase I was successfully completed with the aim of assisting companies in member countries to implement the TQM concept to improve quality of their products.

At the consultation held on 17 August 2000, both sides agreed to implement the TQM Project (Phase II) and Dialogue on standards and conformity assessment. The implementation arrangements were agreed upon by ACCSQ and METI, Japan.

 Cooperation with US Department of Commerce 

ACCSQ and the US Department of Commerce have been co-operating since 1996. The Memorandum of Cooperation was signed and entered into force by 5^th April 2001.

A three-year action plan is being developed. Preliminary sectors of mutual interest have been identified, which include electrical and electronics equipment, telecommunications and IT products, foods and construction materials.

Cooperation with the CER

A Memorandum of Understanding concerning Cooperation on Standards and Conformance between ASEAN and CER Countries was signed in September 1996. Action Plans have been prepared to implement the MOU.

Regular meetings (usually twice per year) have been held between ACCSQ and its Counterparts from the CER Countries to consider progress and implementation of the Action Plan. Under the ACCSQ-CER Action Plan, 58 projects have been identified, which include 24 projects coordinated by ACCSQ-CER and 34 projects undertaken under the Regional Bodies. To date, out of 24 projects coordinated by ACCSQ-CER, 8 projects were successfully completed.

Cooperation with the EC

The ASEAN-EC Quality Structures Programme or ISQAP was successfully implemented. The second phase or ASEAN-EU Regional Cooperation Programme on Standards, Quality and Conformity Assessment has been concluded for implementation.

VI.                    ASSISTANCE TO NEW MEMBEIn area of standards and conformity assessment, ACCSQ has been working in realizing the decision of the ASEAN Economic Ministers to provide a hands-on assistance to the new Members and in contributing a practical action to the implementation of the Initiative of ASEAN Integration (IAI) launched by the ASEAN Leaders.  The assistance has been extended both bilaterally and regionally. The assistance to new Members of ASEAN becomes a permanent agenda item for each ACCSQ meeting.

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