Metrology certificates of Belarus

Courtesy: Metrology certificates of Belarus

The International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML), an intergovernmental organisation, was established under a diplomatic treaty signed in Paris on 12 October 1955 to promote the global harmonisation of legal metrology procedures that underpin and facilitate international trade. Under French law, its principal body, the International Conference on Legal Metrology, is accorded diplomatic status.

The Convention that set up the OIML listed eight objectives behind its establishment. At the 2011 meeting in Prague of the International Committee of Legal Metrology (CIML), the OIML updated its mission to read:

The mission of the OIML is to enable economies to put in place effective legal metrology infrastructures that are mutually compatible and internationally recognised, for all areas for which governments take responsibility, such as those which facilitate trade, establish mutual confidence and harmonise the level of consumer protection worldwide.

At the same meeting, its objectives were then stated as follows:

1. “To develop, in cooperation with our stakeholders, standards and related documents for use by legal metrology authorities and industry that when implemented will achieve the mission of the OIML”.
2. “To provide mutual recognition systems which reduce trade barriers and costs in a global market”.
3. “To represent the interests of the legal metrology community within international organisations and forums concerned with metrology, standardisation, testing, certification and accreditation”.
4. “To promote and facilitate the exchange of knowledge and competencies within the legal metrology community worldwide”.
5. “In co-operation with other metrology bodies, to raise awareness of the contribution that a sound legal metrology infrastructure can make to a modern economy”.
6. “To identify areas for the OIML to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of its work
7. The OIML, which has an annual operating budget of about two million euros that comes from Member subscriptions is organised around a three-layer model:
8. The overall direction of the OIML is vested in the International Conference (French: Conférence internationale de Métrologie légale) which meets every four years. The Conference is attended by delegations from Member States and [non-voting] Corresponding Members of the Organisation.
9. The management of the OIML is vested in the International Committee (French: Comité international de Métrologie légale – CIML). The Committee consists of one member from each Member State. These members normally have active official functions in legal metrology in their country. The Committee elects a non-salaried President for a six-year term of office from amongst its Members. The Committee meets annually under the chairmanship of its President.
10. Secretarial services, day-to-day running and financial management of the OIML are provided by the BIML (French: Bureau International de Métrologie légale). The BIML is the OIML headquarters, located in the 9th Arrondissement of Paris and is headed by a salaried director who is, ex-officio, secretary to both the International Conference and the International Committee.