Jakarta –The Working Group on Legal Metrology (The application of legal requirements to measurements and measuring instruments) in ASEAN benchmarked their metrology laws against the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) best practices.

The benchmark indicated that most AMS have established, or are in the process of revising, their Metrology Law in accordance to international best practices.  This and other findings is contributing to the 22nd Meeting of the ASEAN Consultative Committee for Standards and Quality (ACCSQ) – Working Group on Legal Metrology taking place from 19 to 20 November at the ASEAN Secretariat.

Dr. Manfred Kochsiek, facilitator for PTB (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt – the National Metrology Institute of Germany), said that AMS are well on their way in bringing ASEAN Legal Metrology to international standards.  However, more remains to be done and one of the recommendations is to expand the benchmarking to include decrees or sub-laws.

The Working Group will consider the recommendations of OIML concerning the technical regulations, which would also benefit the industry in ASEAN. Concerning the practical implementation, the Working Group will consider taking a closer look at the procedures in each AMS to better identify areas for future harmonisation in legal metrology.

Legal metrology is the practice and process of applying regulatory structure and enforcement to metrology. It comprises all activities for which legal requirements are prescribed on measurement, measuring instruments and systems and methods. In the wake of globalisation and growing consumer, industry and legislator demands, the requirements on legal metrology are expanding not only for issues concerning consumer protection but also more into the area of environmental protection and energy efficiency.

Germany and PTB supports the regional economic integration in ASEAN through the ACCSQ and its related Bodies towards the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint. The main focus of the PTB project “Improving Quality Infrastructure in ASEAN” is to reduce technical barriers to trade by harmonising standards and technical rules which are an essential basis for ASEAN’s regional economic integration.