The EU RO Mutual Recognition (MR) Group invites marine industry associations and/or representatives of relevant industry groups to save the date for the next Technical Review Meeting (TRM) on 21 November 2024 in Hamburg, Germany.
Welcome to the EU RO Mutual Recognition Group's Website
The EU RO MR Group is made up of 11 Classification Societies with EU Recognised Organisation (EU RO) status, working together to implement Article 10.1 of Regulation (EC) No. 391/2009 which reads:
“Recognised organisations shall consult with each other periodically with a view to maintaining equivalence and aiming for harmonisation of their rules and procedures and the implementation thereof. They shall cooperate with each other with a view to achieving consistent interpretation of the international conventions, without prejudice to the powers of the flag States. Recognised organisations shall, in appropriate cases, agree on the technical and procedural conditions under which they will mutually recognise the class certificates for materials, equipment and components based on equivalent standards, taking the most demanding and rigorous standards as the reference.
Where mutual recognition cannot be agreed upon for serious safety reasons, recognised organisations shall clearly state the reasons therefor...”
Further clarification has been made by the Commission regarding the international acceptance issuing the IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) No 1355/2014 stating in Recital 25 that:
“The scheme for the mutual recognition of class certificates for materials, equipment and components laid down by Article 10(1) of Regulation (EC) No 391/2009 is only enforceable within the Union in respect of ships flying the flag of a Member State. As far as foreign vessels are concerned, the acceptance of relevant certificates remains at the discretion of relevant non-EU flag States in the exercise of their exclusive jurisdiction, notably under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).”
In light of this, the EU RO MR Group can now offer mutual recognition for selected products certified under Type Approval certification for eligible products as described in the EU RO Framework Document.
What is the EU RO Mutual Recognition Type Approval Scheme?
The EU RO Mutual Recognition Type Approval Scheme (MR Scheme) is a voluntary Type Approval certification for marine products exclusively subject to classification rules. MR certification is based on Technical Requirements which are developed as a consolidation of all of the classification societies’ rules for a defined product, based on the most stringent and rigorous standards. MR Type Approval certificates issued by one EU RO are to be accepted by any other EU RO subject to the service restrictions stated within the certificate.
How to Apply for EU RO Mutual Recognition Type Approval Certificates
- EU RO Mutual Recognition (MR) Type Approval Certification is a voluntary certification;
- Manufacturers may apply irrespective of where they are located;
- Application for EU RO MR type approval is to be made to one of the EU ROs at the choice of the manufacturer. There is no need to apply with the same request for EU RO MR Type Approval Certification to any of the other EU ROs;
- If a product is not already covered by the existing Technical Requirements the manufacturer or a manufacturer's organization can request the EU RO MR Group to consider the suitability for MR TR development for such a product. Such a request should be addressed to the Secretariat ([email protected]). For more information about the Technical Requirements development process please see TR Development.
- Details about terms and conditions and procedural requirements are given in the EU RO Framework Document;
- The agreed Technical Requirements for eligible products may be found under the Technical Requirements tab.
Flow chart: Technical and procedural conditions for EU RO Mutual Recognition of Type Approval Certificates for equipment and components based on equivalent standards