. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/Notif.00/154
7 April 2000
(00-1410)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   BELGIUM
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):   Belgium
2. Agency responsible:
Ministry of Economic Affairs
Quality and Safety AdministrationMetrology Division
North Gate III
Boulevard du Roi Albert II, 16
B-1000 Brussels
Tel:  + 32 2 206 47 07Fax:  + 32 2 206 57 45
Agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification shall be
indicated if different from above:           
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [    ], 5.7.1 [    ], other:           
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   All measuring
instruments used for the storage, processing and sending of electronic data.
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Royal Decree On the
Protection of the Logging, Processing and Tran smission of Electronic Data from Measuring
Instruments
6. Description of content:   The objective of the draft Royal Decree is to make it compulsory
to securitize electronic data from measuring instruments as regards integrity, origin,
destination, date and time obtained, confidential nature, irrefutability, or a combination ofone or several of these aspects, from the moment that the data is stored, processed or sent,
before the measuring instruments are placed on the market.  The draft Royal Decree
guarantees the principle of the equivalence of  provisions adopted in other Member States.
The control of measuring instruments from the point of view of electronic data
security is an integral part of the procedures planned for model approval and initial andperiodic calibration, and depends entirely on the nature of the measuring instrument in
question.  Some measuring instruments undergo an individual initial calibration while
others undergo sampling.
The nature and degree of security are determined by the Metrology Service on the
basis of European and/or international standards, and depend entirely on the plannedapplication of the measuring instrument in question.G/TBT/Notif.00/154
Page 2
6. Description of content:  (cont'd)
Security control will be carried out either by the Metrology Service or by approved
bodies, which are recognized as such on the basis of accreditation in accordance with
European standards (EN 45000) and pursuant to the Law of 20 July 1990 on the
accreditation of certification and control bodies and of testing laboratories.  In the absenceof accredited bodies, recognition will be given on the basis of the guarantees required under
the draft Royal Decree itself.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
The objective of tests carried out on a measuring instrument with a view to model
approval is largely to establish that the measuring instrument in question meets the required
meteorological conditions.  If the results obtained with these measuring instruments
subsequently have to be stored, processed or sent - which is increasingly common as a resultof the growing integration of other electronic functions - it is essential that these operations
are securitized so that the results available after any subsequent storage, processing or
transmission operations offer the same guarantees as the initial results.
8. Relevant documents:
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force: }60 days
10. Final date for comments:           
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, e-mail and telefax
number of the other body:   CIBELNOR