MINSK (27 October) - Introduction of some of the technical regulations in Belarus has been postponed to a later date, according to resolution No.1552 of the Council of Ministers of 22 October 2010, BelTA learnt from the Council of Ministers Office. This decision applies to eight technical regulations. These are technical regulations for low-voltage equipment (TP 2007/001/BY), electromagnetic compatibility of technical means (TR 2007/002/BY), toys (TP 2010/007/BY), consumer packaging (TP 2010/016/BY), perfumes, cosmetic products (TP 2010/017/BY), milk and dairy products (TP 2010/018/BY), equipment running on gas fuel (SS 2010/019/BY), veterinary products (TP 2010/021/BY). Introduction of these technical regulations has been postponed to 1 January 2013. They were supposed to come into effect on 1 January 2011. The move is necessitated by the need to synchronize the development and application of technical regulations in Belarus and in the EurAsEC and the Customs Union, BelTA was told in the State Committee for Standardization. In 2010 the members of the Customs Union stepped up efforts to develop EurAsEC common technical standards. However, simultaneously they have been introducing national technical regulations, which have not been harmonized with each other, which may complicate mutual deliveries of products, the committee said. For example, regulations that establish requirements for low voltage equipment, vehicles, gas-fired equipment, wheeled vehicles differ in the objects to which they apply and also in the forms and conformity assessment schemes. National technical regulations for personal protective equipment contain different requirements for these products. The same can be said with regard to technical regulations governing the safety standards of products for children and adolescents. More so, all the national technical regulations stipulate labeling of products with appropriate mark, and each country has its own mark of conformity. At the same time, the EurAsEC is developing common technical regulations for these objects. They are currently developed by 34 groups of experts. Eleven regulations are almost ready for adoption, with 15 more in the pipeline. Belarus is responsible for five technical regulations. Russia has been developing 28, Kazakhstan – 3 and Kyrgyzstan - 2 technical regulations. All in all, the states are planning to design 38 technical regulations covering all important groups of mutually supplied commodities. These draft regulations spell out different from the national requirements rules and schemes of verification of conformity regulating the EurAsEC market access. Development process of some EurAsEC draft technical regulations indicated some difficulties in unifying mandatory requirements. In order to avoid new technical barriers in mutual trade, the Belarusian side suggested suspending the introduction of the national technical regulations in the Customs Union member-states which analogues are envisaged in the EurAsEC. Temporary moratorium on the national technical regulations submitted for approval (adoption) has been suggested till 1 January 2013. In line with the Customs Union Commission’s relevant resolutions No. 343 of 17 August 2010 and No. 384 of 20 September 2010, the sides are to consider the suspension of the national technical regulations similar to the EurAsEC technical regulations. The member states should inform the Secretariat of the Customs Union Commission on their decisions by 1 November 2010. Keeping in mind this fact, the Republic of Belarus suspends the introduction of eight technical regulations in order to coordinate the actions, rule out duplication. Similar activity is underway in the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan. Information on the EurAsEC draft technical regulations is available on the official website of the State Committee for Standardization (www.gosstandart.gov.by) in the EurAsEC and Customs Union section. n

БЕЛТА