MDIC and Inmetro reestablish QI council

After being inactive for six years, the National Metrology, Standardization and Industrial Quality Council was reestablished on April 18, 2023. The Council is composed of representatives from public and private sectors. It is responsible for  formulating, coordinating and supervising national policies on product certification, inspection and registration.

Brazilian Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC), Geraldo Alckmin, is the chairman of the Council. He recently stated that the Council aims to provide quality and safety of products and improve competitiveness, among other objectives.

The President of the National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology (Inmetro), Márcio André Oliveira Brito, affirmed that by reestablishing Conmetro, ‘quality infrastructure will become a strategic tool for competitiveness of the Brazilian industry and that Inmetro, as a central player in the QI system, wants to act as an impetus for the country's development.’

During the council’s initial meeting, a special committee was assigned to assist in the formulation of the National Strategy for Quality Infrastructure. Conmetro discussed the continuity of the revision of normative acts. Stakeholder engagement will be anchored in the revision processes of normative acts.

In addition to the reestablishment of Conmetro, a new department for quality infrastructure was set up: the “General Coordination for Quality Infrastructure”. It is coordinated by the Secretariat of Competitiveness and Regulatory Policy of MDIC. These developments highlight the importance that QI  is currently gaining in Brazil.