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North Macedonia officially the Republic of North Macedonia is a landlocked country situated in the Balkan Peninsula in Southeast Europe.  North Macedonia has a total area of 25,713 km2. It is one of the successor states of Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in September 1991. The capital is Skopje - a political, commercial and cultural centre with a population of over 600.000 citizens. The total population in the Republic is slightly over 2 million. The majority of the residents are ethnic Macedonians, a South Slavic people. Albanians form a significant minority at around 25%, followed by Turks, Romani, Serbs, Bosniaks, and Aromanians.

North Macedonia is a parliamentary democracy with an executive government composed of a coalition of parties from the unicameral legislature and an independent judicial branch with a constitutional court. Parliament is the country's legislative body. Executive power in North Macedonia is exercised by the Government. The members of the government are chosen by the Prime Minister and there are ministers for each branch of the society. Judiciary power is exercised by courts, with the court system being headed by Judicial Supreme court, Constitutional Court and Republican Judicial Council.

As an institution that is part of the quality infrastructure of the Republic of North Macedonia, Bureau of Metrology is directly involved in the implementation of the legislation in the area of metrology, which, beside the national one, covers the regulation from the new and harmonized approach in the field of metrology.

In accordance with the legal framework, laid down in the Law on Metrology, Bureau of metrology (BoM) is the National Metrology Institute (NMI) and national authority responsible for development and maintenance of the metrology system in the Republic of North Macedonia.

Bureau of metrology, as an authority within the Ministry of economy, is responsible institution for implementation of the:

  • Law on metrology
  • Law on control of precious metals articles
  • Law on vehicles - authority for administrative approval in the procedure of homologation of vehicles

The role of Bureau of metrology as NMI is development and maintenance of national measuring standards, ensuring traceability to the international level and dissemination of units. As legal metrology authority, BoM is responsible for ensuring adequate metrological control (conformity assessment, placing on the market and putting into use, periodic and after repair verification) of measuring instruments. Verification of measuring instruments is performed by BoM.

Bureau of Metrology cooperates with regional and international organizations in the field of metrology. Bom is member of EURAMET, associate member of WELMEC and BIPM, member of OIML and IAAO and is a signatory of the CIPM MRA since 2007.

The role of Bureau of metrology is to ensure adequate metrological control (conformity assessment, placing on the market and putting into service, periodic and after service verification) of measuring instruments, which include the instruments covered by Measuring Instruments Directive (MID) and Directive for Non-automatic Weighing Instruments (NAWI), but also measuring instruments that are subject to national regulation. 

The list below contains information for the types  of measuring which are subject to legal metrolog

  • Measuring instruments for length
    • Material measures for length for general use
    • Wire and cable length measuring machines
    • Automatic level gauges for measuring the level of liquids
  • Measuring instruments for volume and flow
    • Capacity serving measures and measuring bottles
    • Road and rail tankers
    • Fixed storage tanks
    • Water meters
    • Gas meters
    • Measuring systems for continuous and dynamic measurements of quantities of liquids other than water
  • Measuring instruments for mass
    • Standard weights
    • Automatic weighing instruments (AWI)
    • Non- Automatic weighing instruments (NAWI)
    • Weighing instruments for road vehicles in motion
    • Measuring instruments for hectolitre mass of cereals and oilseeds
  • Measuring instruments for pressure
    • Tire pressure gauges for motor vehucles
    • Sphygmomanometers 
  • Measuring instruments for density / concentration
    • Hydrometers for general and special-purpose
    • Alcoholometers
    • Refractometers for determination of sugar content in grape must
    • Exhaust gas analysers
    • Breath analysers
    • Measuring instruments for moisture in cereals and oil seeds
  • Measuring instruments for temperature
    • Clinical thermometers
    • Thermometers for official control of food 
       
  • Measuring instruments  for time
    • Electronic parking meters
    • Time switches in telecommunication traffic
    • Time switches (for tariff and load control of the electrical energy)
       
  • Electricity / Resistance measuring instruments
    • Measuring transformers
    • Electricity meters for active and reactive electrical energy
    • Measuring instruments for resistance (earth resistance, insulation resistance)
       
  • Other
    • Lux-meters
    • Measuring instruments for speed of vehicles
    • Taximeters
    • Heat meters

Most of the measuring instruments listed above are subject to type approval. 

National type approval responsibility rests with BoM for all measuring instruments subject to Legal Metrology. BoM may use other test laboratories which comply with the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025 standard. Fees and costs for issuing a type approval certificate or performing a conformity evaluation and verification are defined in Government Ordinance. According to the national legislation, BoM recognizes EC Type Approvals of measuring instrument, which have been lawfully produced and marketed in one of the EU Member States. For all the measuring instruments which are subject of legal metrology (harmonized area and national legislation), BoM maintains Register of measuring instruments.

Before putting into use, measuring instruments are subject of initial verification. Periodical verification is performed to measuring instruments in service, in time intervals determined in the Rulebook, adopted by the Minister of economy.

Verification of measuring instruments is be carried out by BoM. BoM also cooperates with accredited inspection bodies which are responsible for preparing measuring instruments for verification.

Typical intervals for re-verification in accordance to the Rulebook:

  • Weighing instruments: 1 – 2 years
  • Water meters: 5 years
  • Fuel dispensers: 1 year
  • Electricity meters: 10 years

Extraordinary / After repair verification is performed in cases when the measuring instruments are repaired and the re-verification period is exceeded (measuring instrument put out of use for certain period of time).  Extraordinary / After repair verification is performed after the authorized service companies have submitted evidence that all necessary elements laid down in the particular legislation are fulfilled. 

Market surveillance of measuring instruments on the phase after placing on the market and phase of use is performed by State Market inspectorate. Metrological supervision of measuring instruments in usage and their users as well as authorized legal entities is performed by BoM.  BoM practices random programme for metrological supervision of measuring instruments in use.

BoM at present has 40 employees. Most of the employees involved in the legal metrology activities are with a technical background – 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 measuring instruments, if used, can be impounded or sealed to prevent further use. Instruments that exceed the MPE will be prohibited from further use and may be sealed.

LAST UPDATE: NOVEMBER 2019

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