View source for Mutual recognition agreement

{{Short description|International agreement type}}
A '''mutual recognition agreement''' ('''MRA''') is an international agreement by which two or more countries agree to recognize one another's conformity assessments 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 [[Organization:World Trade Organization|World Trade Organization]] in 1995.  They have been forged within and among various [[Organization:Trade bloc|trade bloc]]s, including APEC and the [[Social:European Union|European Union]].<ref>European Commission, [https://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market/goods/free-movement-sectors/mutual-recognition_en Mutual recognition of goods], accessed 22 August 2021</ref>

MRAs are most commonly applied to [[Finance:Goods|goods]], such as various [[Quality control|quality control]] MRAs.  However, the term is sometimes applied to agreements on the recognition of professional qualifications as well.

Accreditation Bodies, under the [[Organization:International Accreditation Forum|International Accreditation Forum]] use the term ''Multilateral Recognition Agreements'' in a similar sense.<ref>{{cite web |title=MLA Purpose |url=https://www.iaf.nu/articles/Purpose/15 |website=IAF |accessdate=7 October 2018}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Testing, inspection and certification]]
* [[Social:Harmonisation of law|Harmonisation of law]]
* [[Finance:Home state regulation|Home state regulation]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://ssrn.com/abstract=723150 Managed Mutual Recognition Regimes: Governance Without Global Government by Kalypso Nicolaïdis and Gregory Shaffer]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061002002159/http://www.tacd.org/cgi-bin/db.cgi?page=view&config=admin%2Fdocs.cfg&id=193 TACD Background Paper on MRAs]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060815173844/http://ts.nist.gov/ts/htdocs/210/gsig/mra.htm National Institute of Standards and Technology on its MRAs]
*[http://www.citizen.org/trade/harmonization/MRA/ Public Citizen description of MRAs]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Mutual Recognition Agreement}}
[[Category:Commercial treaties]]
[[Category:Quality control]]
[[Category:Globalization]]

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