Highlights from recent IEC plenary meetings

                                                                                                                                                                                       

Recently, the mid-year meetings of the international IEC-CAB (Conformity Assessment Board) and IEC-SMB (Standardization Management Board) took as usual place in Geneva, Switzerland, hosted by the IEC Central Office, Amongst the points of the agendas for both Boards were, respectively, conformity assessment services and standardization for ‘hot’ areas as eco-design, carbon footprint and artificial intelligence (AI) as well as special electrical energy generation areas as nuclear and hydrogen conversion. 
SMB is controlling all of IEC’s standards activities and on their agenda were also digital transformation, SMART-standards and planning of international standards in emerging areas like bio-digital convergence and quantum technologies. In such areas, cooperation is needed with other standards development organizations as ISO and relevant industry consortia.

CAB is responsible for IEC’s international conformity assessment systems, i.e. IECEE, IECQ, IECEx and IECRE. The IECEE manages the successful CB scheme, and its annual Certification Management Committee (CMC) meeting took recently place in Milwaukee, USA, hosted by the US Member Body of the IECEE. Hot ‘topics’ on their agenda included:
-Implementation of the standard ETSI 303 645 for cyber security of IoT consumer products, 
-Promotion of the CB scheme towards various countries in Africa and in Eurasia (Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan), 
-Ensuring recognition of CB Test Certificates in all member countries and visibility of limitations on iecee.org,
-Status of developing new certification services, i.a. for functional safety and for radio features and also for aspects/components of electrical equipment. 

As.Mr.Morten Andersen is retiring, Nemko will hereafter be represented in the CMC by Mr.Andreas Nilsson. 

Conformity assessment services for environmental/climate related matters, such as hazardous substances, eco-design and carbon footprint are covered by the IECQ. 

For further information, please contact the editor.

(Article is written and edited by T.Sollie)