Slovenia became independent on 25 June 1991 when it split from the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Slovenia covers an area of 20.256 sq. km and has a population of nearly 2 million. The President is elected by a direct and general election. The legislative power rests with National Assembly. The government is the highest executive body and is answerable to the National Assembly. The judicial system consists of 44 District and 11 Regional Courts, 4 Higher Courts as second-instance courts, and the Supreme Court as the highest Court.

Ljubljana is the capital, a political, commercial and cultural centre with a population of 269.824 citizens. GDP per capita in 2002 was 11.000 USD. Industry has an important place in the economic structure of Slovenia, with interesting niches in almost all activities, but services have largest share. 

Organisational Structure and Background

The decimal metric system was introduced in 1875. According to historical sources, a metrological office operated in Ljubljana as early as 1877. When, in 1991, the Republic of Slovenia declared its independance, the Standards and Metrology Institute of the Repubilc of Slovenia (SMIS) was established within the Ministry of Science and Technology. In 2001, a reorganisation of the Slovenian civil service took place. By separating Standardisation and Accreditation from SMIS, the latter was restructured under the scope of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, into the Metrology Institute of the Republic of Slovenia (MIRS), which continues its work in the field of metrology as the Slovenian national metrology institution.

 The Metrology Institute of the Republic of Slovenia (MIRS) plays the central role in the distributed Slovenian metrology system. In implementing its mission, MIRS closely collaborates with Slovenian Universities as well as with the research and other institutes. It is also a participating member of various international organisations in the field of metrology, both in Europe and world-wide.

 The Metrology Institute is responsible for:

-            preparing and implementing the metrology strategy,

-            the system of national measurement standards,

-            functioning as the national metrological laboratory for particular physical quantities,

-            proposing and defining, to the minister in charge of financing R&D projects, the priorities in selecting and financing the R&D projects related to metrology,

-            organising the national calibration activity,

-            managing the legal metrology system,

-            managing the precious metal system,

-            collaborating with international and other organisations and representing in them the national metrology service.

 Being aware of the importance of metrology for the successful and sustained development of the country, MIRS as a national institution is, for its fields of activity, systematically collecting and analysing the national needs, and - through a clear definition of priorities and by taking into account the characteristics of the systems it manages – provides in an economical way the appropriate technical services. 

Because of the key importance of metrology for a sustainable development of all areas within the country, a Metrology Board was established as a consulting body to the minister in charge of metrology. The Board provides advice in determining the national metrological needs, and proposes scientific and training activities in the field of metrology.

 Metrology related legislation is prepared by MIRS and issued by minister of Education, Science and Sport. MIRS has additional responsibility for type approvals. Metrological control and control of pre-packaged products are done by MIRS.

 In the area of verifications the system of nominated bodies has been set up. By the end of year 2004 28 bodies were nominated for verifications of non-automatic and automatic weighing instruments, chronotachographs, length measuring instruments, water meters, heat meters, gas volume meters, pressure measuring instruments, exhaust emission meters, fault loop impendance and earth resistance measuring instruments. Nomination is done by MIRS. The first requirement for nomination is accreditation according to EN 45004. Nominated legal persons are controlled by MIRS.

 Apart from nominated bodies verifications are also done by MIRS Verifications Regional Units in Ljubljana and Celje. Great majority of verification tasks is also outsourced on the contractual basis to the organisations which are in the procedure for nomination.  

Manufacturers are able to self-verify their instruments subject to certification based on EN29000 requirements.

Equipment Subject to National Controls

 ·         Length measuring instruments for:

-     General purposes,

-          Wires and cables,

-          Thickness,

-          Depth of liquids.

·         Capacity serving measures,

·         Liquid volume metering instruments:

-          Petroleum,

-          Liquefied petroleum gas,

-          Bulk milk,

-          Lubricating oil,

-          Heating oil.

·         Fixed storage tanks,

·         Flow-through measuring instruments:

-          Cold water meters,

-          Warm water meters,

-          Heat meters,

-          Gas volume meters.

·         Non-automatic weighing instruments,

·         Automatic weighing instruments:

-          Discontinuous totalising,

-          Continuous totalising,

-          Gravimetric filling,

-          Rail weighbridges,

-          Catchweighers,

-          Road vehicles in motion.

·         Weights

·         Pressure measuring instruments:

-          Tyre pressure gauges,

-          Blood pressure gauges.

·         Electricity meters,

·         Measuring voltage and current transformers,

·         Time switches,

·         Fault loop impendance, earth resistance, continuity of protection conductor, insulation resistance measuring instruments

·         Force measuring instruments,

·         Alcoholmeters and alcohol hydrometers,

·         Speed detectors,

·         Chronotachographs*,

·         Taximeters,

·         Exhaust emission meters,

·         Breath analysers,

·         Refractometers

* from January 2005 Ministry for Transport is responsible for chronotachographs. 

Type Approval

Type approval responsibility rests with MIRS for all measuring instruments. MIRS may use other test laboratories which comply with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025 standard. Fees and costs for issuing a pattern approval certificate or for performing a pattern evaluation and verification are defined in Government¢s Ordinance.

The most numerous measuring instruments for which type approvals are issued are electricity meters, water meters and non automatic weighing instruments.

MIRS is notified body for EC type examination due to the Directive 90/384/EEC as amended.  

Initial Verification and Reverification 

MIRS and accredited bodies which are nominated by MIRS are responsible for initial verification and reverificaton. Verifications will only be carried out by MIRS if there are no nominated bodies for the type of instrument concerned.

Self-verification system exists for manufacturers for initial verification of new instruments, allowing them to self-declare conformity of their instruments with legal and type approval requirements.

MIRS is notified body for EC verification and EC unit verification due to the Directive 90/384/EEC as amended.

Inspection and Reverification

A mandatory reverification system operates. Reverification frequencies are determined in the Rules on the terms for regular verification of measuring instruments (RS Official Gazette, no. 72/02). For some of the measuring instruments the reverification frequencies are determined in the rules for metrological requirements for those measuring instruments.

Latest figures show that some 200.000 measuring instruments are annually reverified.

The fees for reverification are the same as for initial verification.

Repairers are not permitted to reverify instruments.

MIRS operates a random inspection programme of measuring instruments in use using its own staff.  

Legal Metrology Practitioners and Scope

MIRS has 66 employees, staff in type approval are engineers with a technical college background.
Employees in the verification have an intermediate technical school background and are mainly trained on the job.

Officers are restricted to legal metrology work and are not involved in any wider consumer protection service.

Sanctions

Sanctions are based upon a system of administrative penalties. A preventive enforcement policy is applied resulting in penalties normally only being applied in cases where fraud is evident.

The fine shall be imposed on the spot by MIRS inspectors.

Non-verified or inaccurate instruments can be impounded or sealed to prevent further use. 

Directive 2004/22/EC

The directive was implemented in Slovenia by ordinance dated 19 April 2006.

The directive is transposed for all categories except for area measuring instruments (Chapter III in Annex MI-009).

MIRS is notified body for:

Slovenian Institute of Quality and Metrology (SIQ) is notified body for: