Joint Sectoral Committee Useful In Fostering Cooperation On Electronic Equipment In Asean Region

SANDAKAN (Sabah, Malaysia) Nov 14 (Bernama) -- Since its establishment in 2005, the Joint Sectoral Committee for Electrical and Electronic Equipment (JSC EEE) has and continues to be a useful platform to promote cooperation on standards and conformity assessment of the sector within the ASEAN region. Department of Standards Director-General, Fadilah Baharin said the committee had been proven to be an active working group, serving as an avenue for its members to communicate, interact and exchange ideas in achieving the goals of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). “I was made to understand that the agenda for this meeting includes updates on the latest development in ASEAN integration initiatives, follow-up actions from the previous meeting, and exchange of information on technical regulations to enhance transparency,” she said of the JSC EEE meeting and its related events, here, Wednesday. Her speech was delivered by Department of Standards senior assistant director, Feris Frederick. The four-day meeting which began yesterday is attended by 50 participants from ASEAN countries including Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia as the host. The committee consists of ASEAN member states regulatory authorities, responsible for accomplishing the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement for Electrical and Electronic Equipment (ASEAN EEE MRA) which was signed in 2002, and ASEAN Harmonised Electrical and Electronic Regulatory Regime (AHEEERR), signed in 2005. Fadilah said the meeting would also discuss the progress of the implementation of the ASEAN EEE MRA, progress of the implementation of the Agreement on AHEEERR, cooperation with international organisations and dialogue partners, as well as the JSC EEE action plan for 2016-2025. She said with technological advancement and today’s borderless world, ASEAN countries needed to find innovative ways to actively promote and protect the safety of consumers, especially when it involved electrical and electronic equipment. “Technology has paved the way for more electrical and electronic equipment to be in the market, and the Internet of things has made these easier to reach consumers. Hence, we need to make it easier for the laboratory-proven safe products to be available in the market, rather than the unproven ones,” she said. Fadilah noted that there were 22 testing laboratories and 10 certification bodies across the region that had been listed under the ASEAN EEE MRA, including one testing laboratory and one certification body from Malaysia. -- BERNAMA