Country Information

Institute of Standards, Metrology and Patents of Bosnia and Herzegovina is established as a governmental institution in period 1992-2000. This institute changed the name in 2000 into Institute of Standards, Metrology and Intellectual Property of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Institute of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina was established by restructuring above mentioned Institute, as projected by the Law of establishing Institute of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued in September 2004. The final separation between the Institute of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Institute of Standardization of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Institute of Intellectual Property of Bosnia and Herzegovina was finalised on January 1, 2007.

Institute of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina represents National Metrology Institute (NMI) which is directly responsible to the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Every four years Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, upon a proposal of Institute of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina, nominates Metrological Council composed of scientific and competent members in the domain of metrology that operates as professional and advisory body of the Institute of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Legal framework of the Insitute of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina is defined with:

• Law of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( B&H Official Gazette, No. 19/2001) and byelaws based on the mentioned Law.
• The Law of Measurement Units of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H Official Gazette, No 19/2001)
• The Law of establishment of the Institute of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H Official Gazette, No 43/2004)

Metrology Infrastructure in Bosnia and Herzegovina is organised with following parts

• Institute of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina with referent laboratories in mentioned Institute
• Accredited laboratories according to BAS EN ISO/IEC 17025
• Nominated measurement laboratories for verification (nominated in accordance with requirements of standard BAS EN ISO/ IEC 17020)
• Entity institutions for legal metrology

According to Law of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Institute of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovnia

• realises the base of standards in Bosnia and Herzegovina, develops, creates, declares and maintains national standards of legal (SI) units of measurement
• provides traceability of the national standards through unbroken chain of intercomparisons to the international standards
• prescribes metrological requirements for standards, reference materials and measuring instruments
• makes decisions on recognising the standards as national standards
• nominates laboratories dealing with verification
• nominates bodies dealing with control of pre-packed products
• performs the conformity assessment including the pattern evaluation and pattern approvals of measuring instruments
• deals with research and development in the field of metrology
• proposes the development projects and defines priorities in their realisation in the field of metrology
• participates in the activities of the international organisations for metrology representing Bosnia and Herzegovina therein
• implements international agreements for cooperation in the field of metrology
• participates in the activities of the international organisations and associations in the field of metrology
• appoints representatives that will participate in their activities or observe them, and represent Bosnia and Herzegovina therein
• organises and directs scientific research activities in the field of metrology
• realises their part of the project, in the field of metrology, performed within Institute in association with competent scientific research organisations, institutions and individuals from the country and abroad

The role of the Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina is

• realisation and maintenance of national measurement standards and ensuring its traceability to the internationally recognised measurement standards – realisation of SI base and derivate units
• establishment of distributed measurement system by appointing other legal person (if requirements fulfilled) to perform task of holder of national measurement standard or to perform verification of measuring instruments
• issuing metrological regulations
• being in charge of conformity assessment certification
• being in charge of international cooperation
• prescribing the process of monitoring of pre-package products and marking of the quantities and prescribing of permissible errors
• Supporting research and development in all areas of metrology

Institute of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina also has a role in harmonisation of B&H legislation with the EC Directives. At this moment, jurisdiction of Institute of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina is implementation of the following Directives:

• Directive on Measuring Instruments 2004/22/EC
• Directive on Non-Automatic Weighing Instruments 90/384/EEC and 93/68/EEC (CE Marking ) – harmonised in 2011
• Directive on Packaging and Packaging Waste 94/62/EC

Institute of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina currently has 51 employees and plans to employ a total of 72 employees. Beside calibration laboratories Institute has also laboratories for verification located in Sarajevo and Tuzla.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a member of the following international and European organisations:

• OIML (International Organization of Legal Metrology) - Corresponding Member since March 1997
• EURAMET (European Association of National Metrology Institutes) - Member since 2009
• WELMEC (European cooperation in legal metrology) - Associate Member since 2009
• IAAO (International Association Assay Office) - Observer since 2010
• BIPM / CGPM (International Bureau of Weights and Measures / General Conference for Measures and Weights) - Associate Member since 2011
• COOMET (Euro-Asian Cooperation of National Metrological Institutions)- Associate Member since 2013
• GULFMET (Regional Metrology Organization of Gulf countries) - Associate Member since 2013

• Water meters (cold water, hot water)
• Flow / gas volume and volume correctors (gas flow ≤ G10 nad gas flow> G10)
• Electricity meters (indirectly connected, direct and semi-direct connection)
• Heat meters
• Measuring systems for continuous and dynamic measurement of quantities of liquids other than water (Measuring instruments and measuring systems for measurement of flow / volume of liquid fuels and liquid gases (LPG), Measuring instruments and measuring systems for measurement of flow / volume drinks and commercial liquids)
• Automatic weighing instruments
• Taximeters 
• Dimensional Measurement (length and area):
  • Length equipment for general purpose (measuring tape, folding length gauges, meters for textile, measuring rack for level measurement of liquids in tanks, measuring rulers, measuring tapes with and without surplus, a measure for trunk-bench)
  • Equipment for measuring wire and cable length
  • Automatic liquid level gauges
  • Measuring the width and swells gauge track
• Non- automatic weighing instruments of accuracy class I, II, III and IIII (Up to max capacity of 9000 kg and over max. capacity of 9000 kg)
• Weights of accuracy class F1, F2, M1, M2, M3
• Measuring instruments for pressure
  • Sphygmomanometers (mechanical and mercury)
  • Tire pressure gauges for motor vehicles
• Measuring instruments for control of motor vehicles (measuring instruments for braking force and measuring instruments for measuring the axle load vehicles in motion)
• Measuring instruments for speed of vehicles (lidars, radars, inductive loops)
• Measuring instruments for determining the density and concentration meters used in the trade of goods:
  • Electronic densitometers (Areometers for general purposes, Special-purpose areometers,  Pycnometers,  Alcoholometers, Refractometers for determination of sugar content, Butyrometers)Electronic densitometers (Areometers for general purposes, Special-purpose areometers,  Pycnometers,  Alcoholometers, Refractometers for determination of sugar content, Butyrometers)
• Measuring instruments for measuring amount of substance (etilometers, exhaust gas analyser, opacimeter)
• Measuring instruments for ionising radiation (absorbed dose, air kerma)
• Sound level meters (audiometers)
• Volume measuring instruments (Tanks and horizontal reservoirs, Vertical reservoirs…)
• Measuring instruments for time measurements (time switch, electronic stop watches, peoplemeter, pulse sensor for telecommunications; electronic parking meters, tahographs)
• Measuring instruments for maintaining humidity of grains and oilseeds
• Medical measuring instruments (Defibrillator, Infusomats and Perfusors, Patient monitors, Neonatal and paediatric incubators, Respirators, Anaesthesiology machines, Therapeutic ultrasound devices, Dialysis machines, ECG -Electrocardiographs)
• Instrument transformers

National type approval responsibility rests with Institute of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina for all measuring instruments subject to Legal Metrology. Institute of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina may use other laboratories which comply with the requirements of BAS EN ISO/IEC 17025 and BAS EN ISO/IEC 17020 standard. Fees and costs for issuing a type approval certificate or performing conformity evaluation and verification are defined in Government Ordinance.

Initial verification of measuring instruments is performed by verification centres and laboratories which are nominated by director of Institute of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Initial verification procedure is specified by regulation. Verification fees are set by ordinance.

A mandatory re-verification system is supplemented by inspection. The re-verification frequencies are set by ordinance. Typical re-verification intervals are:

• Weighing instruments: 1 – 2 years
• Water meters: 5 years
• Fuel dispensers: 1 year
• Electricity meters: 12 years

Institute of Metrology of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the present has 55 employees. Most of them are engineers. The staff engaged in type approvals is engineers with technical background. Employees in the verification are engineers and technicians.

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