WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/GEN/87 
26 August 2009 
 (09-4021) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
INFORMATION ON ACTIVITIES OF THE OIML  
(INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF LEGAL METROLOGY) 
 
  The following information was provided by the OIML
 at the TBT Committee meeting of  
25-26 June 2009. 
 
_______________ 
 
 
1. The OIML works for international harmonisati on in the field of legal metrology. The 
following recent developments are of interest to the TBT Committee:  
I. OIML SEMINAR ON SMART METERS  
2. Over the past ten years or so, many author ities and utility companies have considered 
introducing so-called “smart meters”. A number of trials have been set up and decisions have been 
made to use smart meters in whole networks and sometimes even nationwide.  The development of 
these meters is due to authorities' obligations to en sure that energy consumption is reduced, and utility 
companies' wish to improve efficiency, reduce costs and increase competitiveness.  
3. The authorities are trying to deal with these de velopments by implementing regulations that 
take account of the additional functiona lities offered by these new technologies.  
4. In many countries, utility meters are traditiona lly under legal metrological control. The OIML 
has published Recommendations (model technical re gulations for national le gislation) for water 
meters, heat meters, gas meters and electricity meters. The OIML also has a horizontal document 
General requirements for software controlled measuring instruments .  
5. The OIML organized a Seminar on smart meters  on 2-5 June 2009 to discuss developments in 
smart metering (technologies and regul ations, experience and lessons l earned) and to investigate the 
impact on the international harmonization of lega l metrological requirements for utility meters. The 
seminar brought together manufacturers, users (utility companies and consumers), national and 
regional authorities, conformity assessment bodies, a nd secretariats of relevant OIML Technical 
Committees and Subcommittees.  
6. As well as offering various presentations, the Seminar also aimed to produce:  
(a) draft terms and definitions for smart meters  metering, for use in legal metrology;  
(b) a list of additional functions that should be subject to harmonized legal requirements;  
(c) suggestions for new requirements to be adde d to existing or new OIML publications;  
(d) a draft action plan for relevant OIML Technical Committees and Subcommittees.  G/TBT/GEN/87 
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  7. The conclusions and presentations from the seminar have been published on the OIML 
website and a selection of these will published in fu ture editions of the OIML Bulletin.  For further 
information, please contact Willem Kool, BIML Assistant Director (willem.kool@oiml.org).  
II. DEVELOPMENTS IN THE OIML MUTUAL ACCEPTANCE ARRANGEMENT 
(MAA)  
8. A meeting was held on 17-18 June 2009 on tw o existing Declarations of Mutual Confidence 
(DoMCs) under the OIML MAA.  The main points of this meeting were:  
(a) New participants were recognised within the existing DoMCs; 
(b) Two new DoMCs for OIML R 51 Automatic catchweighing instruments and R 117 
Dynamic measuring systems for liquids other than water (but limited to fuel 
dispensers for this DoMC) are to be launched by the end of the year; 
(c) Criteria are under discussion on how test results established by manufacturers can be 
accepted within the MAA; 
(d) Consideration of subjects which should be c overed during revision of the publications 
on OIML recognition systems, taking account of the experience gained from the first 
DoMCs; 
(e) Discussions of a new document under deve lopment within OIML TC 3/SC 5 on The 
role of measurement uncertainty in conformity assessment decisions in legal 
metrology . 
9. For further information, please contact Régine Gaucher, MAA Project Leader 
(regine.gaucher@oiml.org
).  
III. OIML SEMINAR TO BE HELD IN KENYA  
10. The OIML will be holding its annual Committee Meeting in Mombasa, Kenya in October 
2009.  Although already mentioned in the OIML's  report to the March 2009 meeting of the TBT 
Committee, members are reminded that in conjunc tion with this meeting, a one day seminar on 
“Stakes and priorities of legal metrology for trade ” will be held.  The following information is taken 
from the OIML’s website for the CIML Mee ting and Seminar, which is available at 
http://mombasa.oiml.org  
Confidence is a major issue for domestic and international trade. Suppliers and buyers 
conclude a transaction based on a comm on agreement on the goods, products or 
services that are sold and this calls for an agreement on the quantity and quality of 
these goods, products or services. All this is based on measurements which are 
necessarily conducted by one party to the transaction - legal metrology aims to ensure 
that the other party may have confidence in them.  
The measurement facilities are very ofte n automated so that performing the 
measurements may be done by operators  who are not specialists. Therefore, 
confidence in the measurement results de rives principally from the ability of the 
equipment to deliver correct measurem ents under variable measurement and 
environmental conditions, and from the ability of  this equipment to be insensitive to 
operator errors and to tampering.   G/TBT/GEN/87 
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  This is why many of these measurements  fall under the expanding scope of legal 
metrology, which aims to set up appropria te requirements and controls on the 
equipment to ensure that the equipment s hows the ability mentioned above and that it 
will therefore provide appr opriate confidence in the measurement results.  
Without such confidence, trade would be subject to multiple measurements carried 
out at the initiative of each party to th e transaction, creating disputes due to 
differences in measurements. The additional cost of such multiple measurements and 
of solving these disputes would considerably  affect the efficiency of trade and 
jeopardize the economy. Legal metrology is  therefore an essential tool in ensuring 
fair trade and for the efficiency of an economy.  
The OIML's mission is to develop the appr opriate means to respond to these needs, 
such as:  
(a) drafting internationally agreed requirements on measuring instruments; 
(b) formulating methods for the evaluation of instruments,  
(c) establishing methods and legal provisions  recommended for setting up a national 
system for the economy and its citizens, developing mutual confidence between 
countries, and mutual acceptance of evalua tion or measurement results obtained in 
different countries, and  
(d) providing the necessary tools that countries may use to facilitate trade and to protect 
their own interests and those of their stakeholders.  
 
11. The aim of this Seminar is to present the needs of the many stakeholders of legal metrology:  
(a) professions concerned by measurements falli ng within the scope of legal metrology, 
at domestic or international level (trade , agriculture, food products, commodities, 
energy measurement, transport, etc.),  
(b) consumer associations,  
(c) manufacturers of measuring instruments,  
(d) public authorities (e.g. road safety, industri al safety, environment, water resources 
management, etc.).  
12. During the Seminar the various stakeholders w ill be invited to give presentations of their 
needs and expectations; the Seminar will conclude w ith a discussion of the priorities for the OIML in 
order to address these needs.  
13. For further information, please contact Ian Dunmill, BIML Assistant Director 
(ian.dunmill@oiml.org).  
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