France is implementing the European Commission Directive on the approximation of the laws of member states concerning telecommunications terminal equipment, including the mutual recognition of their conformity – 91/263/EEC. This Directive expands on the initial stage directive in 1986, by requiring full mutual recognition of type approvals. Terminal equipment that is type-approved in one member state will not require type-approval in other member states, and may be marketed without further formality. All member states have to introduce the necessary measures for implementing the Directive no later than November 6 this year. Manufacturers should not get their hopes up too soon, however, since harmonised approvals cannot not come into operation until work is completed on a number of standards, NET 4 in particular, which provides a rationalised technical view of the Community’s telephone networks. Work on this is ongoing but slow. Nonetheless, France is preparing to take advantage of the directive, and has revised its telephone law so that terminal equipment approved by a notified body in another Member State will be exempted from testing in France. It must carry an EC-compliance mark and authority logo.
