Argentina: New General conformity assessment framework

 

Argentina has notified a new general conformity assessment framework applicable to the technical regulations issued by the Secretariat of Industry and Trade of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. This general framework includes provisions on, inter alia, conformity assessment bodies; conformity assessment procedures; conformity marking; specific procedures for accepting technical equivalence, adapting to the local market and allowing the entry of goods without right of use; and market surveillance.

It revises and restructures existing legislation on conformity assessment, with a view to streamlining regulations, reducing state bureaucracy and facilitating trade. It makes the current system more flexible and expands the mechanisms provided for recognizing conformity assessment results, while introducing a change of approach for monitoring compliance that involves enhanced market surveillance.

The general framework also establishes conformity marking requirements.

Several previous pieces of legislation are thereby repealed:

• Secretariat of Industry, Trade and Mining (SICyM) Resolution No. 799/1999;
• Secretariat for Competition and Consumer Protection (SDCyC) Resolution No. 237/2000;
• Technical Coordination Secretariat (SCT) Resolution No. 197/2004;
• Secretariat of Trade (SC) Resolution No. 282/2014;
• Secretariat of Domestic Trade (SCI) Resolution No. 344/2021;
• Provisions Nos. 178/2000 and 747/2001 of the former National Directorate of Domestic Trade

In order to ensure that the products covered by the Technical Regulations comply with the required requirements, a Declaration of Conformity and the carrying out of conformity assessment procedures will be required, which will be governed by the provisions of this point. Each technical regulation will establish the conformity assessment procedure(s) applicable to each product covered, as well as the modalities admitted for each of them, according to the level of risk assessed for the product in question. The Declaration of Conformity will guarantee that the products introduced to the national market comply with the requirements established in the Technical Regulation and that their conformity has been verified through the conformity assessment procedure provided.

The information recorded in the Declaration must be current, so that, in the event of any modification to the product, the manufacturer or importer will be responsible for updating the information.

The Declaration of Conformity must accompany the product, or family of products, and be available to whoever requires it. For this reason, the manufacturer or importer may provide a physical copy of the same, or have a digital copy available, for which they must comply with the provisions of point 3.1.1. of this measure.

Without prejudice to what is indicated regarding the digital copy, the manufacturer or importer will be obliged to deliver a physical copy of the Declaration of Conformity when it is requested in a commercial operation.

Manufacturers and importers of products subject to Technical Regulations will be responsible for compliance, at all times, with the established conditions.

To find out more about the details of the regulation and about product compliance in Argentina, please contact the Product Compliance Institute directly.