Slovenia

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. Slovenia is a member of the European Union since 2004.

Ljubljana is the capital, a political, commercial and cultural centre with a population of 270.000 citizens. GDP per capita in 2008 was 27.300 USD. Industry has an important place in the economic structure of Slovenia, with interesting niches in almost all activities, but services have largest share.

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 independence, the Standards and Metrology Institute of the Republic 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 Higher Education, Science and Technology. MIRS has additional responsibility for conformity assessment of measuring instruments, pre-packed products, units of measurement and metrological supervision.

In the area of national verifications of measuring instruments the system of nominated bodies has been set up. By the mid 2009 34 bodies were nominated. Nomination is done by MIRS. The first requirement for nomination is accreditation according to SIST EN ISO/IEC 17020. Nominated bodies are supervised by MIRS. Apart from nominated bodies verifications are also performed by MIRS, primarily in the fields where there are no nomination of private bodies.

• Measuring vessels for liquids
• Measuring container bottles
• Material measures of length
• Length measuring instruments
• Bulk milk meters
• Capacity serving measures,
• Measuring systems for continuous and dynamic measurement of quantities of liquids other than water
• Fixed storage tanks,
• Water meters,
• Heat meters,
• Gas meters and volume conversion devices.
• Non-automatic weighing instruments,
• Automatic weighing instruments:
  • Discontinuous totalising,
  • Continuous totalising,
  • Gravimetric filling,
  • Rail weighbridges,
  • Catchweighers,
  • Road vehicles in motion.
• Weights,
• Automatic level gauges for measuring the level of liquid in stationary storage tanks,
• Roller brake testers,
• Tyre pressure gauges,
• Blood pressure gauges,
• Electrical energy meters (active, reactive),
• Measuring voltage and current transformers,
• Fault loop impendance, earth resistance, continuity of protection conductor, insulation resistance measuring instruments,
• Traffic speed meters,
• Taximeters,
• Exhaust gas analysers (spark ignition, compression),
• Breath analysers,
• Refractometers.

MIRS is designated body for the national type approvals. MIRS is also notified body for EC type approval for NAWI and for module B and other modules in the field of several specific annexes under MID. 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 and weighing instruments.

All approvals issued by MIRS are available on MIRS web site http://www.mirs-info.si/mainindex.php

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

National initial verification of new instruments can be also performed by manufacturers with approved quality system, allowing them to declare conformity of their instruments with legal and type approval requirements.

A mandatory system of periodic verification is in operation. The re-verification frequencies of the measuring instruments are determined in the rules for metrological requirements for those measuring instruments.

Latest figures show that some 200.000 measuring instruments are annually verified. Repairers are not permitted to verify instruments after repair.

MIRS operates a random inspection programme of:

1. measuring instruments in service and on the market,
2. pre-packed products (with and without “e- mark”)
3. correct use of units of measurement

using staff of its Metrology Supervision Division.

Supervision over measuring instruments included inspection of verification and sealing marks, conformity with type approval certificate and correct use. It could be performed a control of errors by performing control testing of measuring instruments also accordance to internal working plan or regarding complaints of costumers.

MIRS has 59 employees. Staff in type approval are engineers with a technical background. Employees in the verification have an intermediate technical school background and are mainly trained on the job. Staffs in the metrological supervision (authorized officials) are inspectors with at least a degree in a particular profession and metrological supervisors with at least an intermediate technical school background. Both have to pass a proficiency examination.

Officers are restricted to legal metrology work and are not involved in any wider consumer protection service.
There are more than 100 employees of nominated private body which are also authorised to perform verification within the scope of nomination of their company.

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 by MIRS inspectors and metrological supervisors.

Non-suitable instruments, pre-packed products and non-correct units of measurement can be prohibited for further use or being on the market.

The directive was implemented in Slovenia by ordinance dated 10 October 2003.

MIRS is a notified body for EC type examination (type approval), EC verification, EC unit verification and EC declaration of type conformity.

No administrative gravity values as referred in Annex II point 5.2 have been identified The manufacturer is responsible to bring the instrument in conformity with the maximum permissible errors for the place of use. However the approach developed in guide WELMEC 2 is accepted.

The Slovene implementing ordinance does not make it an offence to use the weighing instrument bellow Min.

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) and multidimensional measuring instruments (Chapter IV in Annex MI-009).

MIRS is a notified body for the following measuring instruments:

• Active Electrical Energy Meters (Annex MI-003),
• Measuring Instruments for Liquids Other than Water (Annex MI-005)
• Automatic Weighing Instruments (Annex MI-006)
• Taximeters (Annex MI-007)
• Material measure of length (Annex MI-008)
• Capacity serving measures (Annex MI-008)
• Length measuring instruments (Annex MI-009)

SIQ is a notified body for Active Electrical Energy Meters (Annex MI-003).

Details about MIRS and SIQ notification are given Nando database http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newapproach/nando/.