Mutual recognition occurs when two or more countries or other institutions recognize one another's decisions or policies, for example in the field of
conformity assessment
Conformance testing — an element of conformity assessment, and also known as compliance testing, or type testing — is testing or other activities that determine whether a process, product, or service complies with the requirements of a specific ...
,
professional qualification
Professional certification, trade certification, or professional designation, often called simply ''certification'' or ''qualification'', is a designation earned by a person to assure qualification to perform a job or task. Not all certifications ...
s or in relation to
criminal matters.
A mutual recognition agreement (MRA) is an international agreement by which two or more countries agree to recognize one another's
conformity assessment
Conformance testing — an element of conformity assessment, and also known as compliance testing, or type testing — is testing or other activities that determine whether a process, product, or service complies with the requirements of a specific ...
s, decisions or results (for example certifications or test results). A mutual recognition arrangement is an international arrangement based on such an agreement.
Countries involved in the agreement can designate for the scope of the agreement Conformity Assessment Bodies (CAB), laboratories and inspection bodies.
MRAs have become increasingly common since the formation of the
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation
in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...
in 1995. They have been forged within and among various
trade bloc
A trade bloc is a type of intergovernmental agreement, often part of a regional intergovernmental organization, where barriers to trade (tariffs and others) are reduced or eliminated among the participating states.
Trade blocs can be stand-alon ...
s, including
APEC
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. and the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
.
MRAs are most commonly applied to
goods
In economics, goods are items that satisfy human wants
and provide utility, for example, to a consumer making a purchase of a satisfying product. A common distinction is made between goods which are transferable, and services, which are not tran ...
, such as various
quality control
Quality control (QC) is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. ISO 9000 defines quality control as "a part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements".
This approach places ...
MRAs. However, the term is also applied to agreements on the recognition of
professional qualification
Professional certification, trade certification, or professional designation, often called simply ''certification'' or ''qualification'', is a designation earned by a person to assure qualification to perform a job or task. Not all certifications ...
s and decisions relating to criminal matters.
[European Commission]
Programme of measures to implement the principle of mutual recognition of decisions in criminal matters
''Official Journal'' C 012 , 15/01/2001 p. 0010 - 0022, accessed 4 November 2021
Accreditation Bodies, under the
International Accreditation Forum
The International Accreditation Forum, Inc. (IAF) is the world association of Conformity Assessment Accreditation bodies and other bodies interested in conformity assessment in the fields of management systems, products, services, personnel and oth ...
, use the term ''Multilateral Recognition Agreements'' in a similar sense.
Mutual recognition of decisions in criminal matters
The issue of mutual recognition in criminal matters was raised at the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
's
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
European Council
The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body that defines the overall political direction and priorities of the European Union. It is composed of the heads of state or government of the EU member states, the President of the E ...
on 15 and 16 June 1998 and further discussed at the European Council meeting held in
Tampere
Tampere ( , , ; sv, Tammerfors, ) is a city in the Pirkanmaa region, located in the western part of Finland. Tampere is the most populous inland city in the Nordic countries. It has a population of 244,029; the urban area has a population o ...
in October 1999. A programme of EU measures to implement the principle of mutual recognition in relation to decisions regarding criminal matters was published on 15 January 2021.
See also
*
Testing, inspection and certification The Testing, Inspection and Certification (TIC) sector consists of conformity assessment bodies who provide services ranging from auditing and inspection, to testing, verification, quality assurance and certification. The sector consists of bot ...
*
Harmonisation of law
In the European Union, harmonisation of law (or simply harmonisation) is the process of creating common standards across the internal market. Though each EU member state has primary responsibility for the regulation of most matters within their ju ...
*
Home state regulation
Home state regulation is a principle in the law of the European Union for resolving conflict of laws between Member States when dealing with cross-border selling or marketing of goods and services. The principle states that, where an action or ser ...
References
External links
Managed Mutual Recognition Regimes: Governance Without Global Government by Kalypso Nicolaïdis and Gregory ShafferTACD Background Paper on MRAsPublic Citizen description of MRAs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutual Recognition
Commercial treaties
Quality control
Globalization