The Fourteenth Meeting of the Joint Sectoral Committee for Electrical and Electronic Equipment (JSC EEE) was held on 20th to 22nd November 2012 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The meeting was chaired by Mr Steven Tan, Group Director of Quality and Standards, SPRING, Singapore and co-chaired by Mr Sathaporn Rungrattanaubol, Senior Standards Officer, Standards Bureau 2, Thai Industrial Standards Institute (TISI), Thailand.

The meeting was attended by representatives from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam, representatives from ACCSQ WG 1, the ASEAN Secretariat and representatives from International Electrotechnical Commission – Asia Pacific Regional Center (IEC-APRC). The representatives of Key Expert on Standards for the ASEAN Regional Integration Support Programme from EU (ARISE) and delegations from Japan Ministry of Trade and Industry and Business Machine Industry Association (JBMIA) were also in attendance. There were a total of 63 delegates of whom eight were from Malaysia represented by ST, SIRIM QAS and TEEAM.

The meeting was officiated by the HE Bayu Krisnamurthi, Vice Minister of Trade, Republic of Indonesia. He extended his warm welcome to all the delegates of the 14th JSC EEE Meeting to the culture-rich city of Yogyakarta. HE Bayu Krisnamurthi shared the following in his remarks for the JSC EEE Meeting to consider:

• To meet the integration timeline by 2015 noting that ASEAN leaders had agreed to announce the Economic Integration of ASEAN by 31st December 2015. ASEAN is a stable region economically with a large market of 600 million consumers.
• To be mindful of the challenges and differences of Member States in achieving the economic integration of the EEE sector noting that AMS has become more conscious of the ASEAN economic integration and could introduce measures to make sure that their local industries and the consumers are equally protected.
• To take into considerations the technological developments of the products as EEE becomes more advanced in terms of features where it could function as an ICT equipment.
• To take into consideration external parties who are engaging with ASEAN. ASEAN, as a region, has to be mindful of its dialogue partners as key players in the integration initiative. JSC EEE has to take this into consideration in the deliberations and in making decisions.

The meeting witnessed the handover of Chairmanship by Philippines to Singapore, and Co-Chairmanship by Singapore to Thailand. The outgoing Chair expressed his appreciation to the JSC EEE members for the supports extended to him during his term as the JSC EEE Chair. The meeting went on to discuss the following, among others:

• ASEAN integration initiatives.
• Implementation of measures for the EEE sector in the AEC scorecard.
• Harmonisation of standards & listing of CAB under ASEAN EEMRA.
• Technical regulations to enhance transparency.
• ASEAN harmonised EEE regulatory regime.
• Cooperation with international organisations and dialogue partners.

The delegates expressed their appreciation to the Ministry of Trade, Republic of Indonesia for the warm hospitality and excellent arrangements made for the meeting. The meeting also thanked the ASEAN Secretariat for the assistance provided. Held in the traditional spirit of ASEAN cordiality and solidarity, everyone had a wonderful and memorable stay in Yogyakarta.

For the album – A group photo of all the delegates.

Meeting in progress – Delegates engrossed in discussion.

Opening ceremony – HE Bayu Krisnamurthi (Vice Minister of Trade, Republic of Indonesia) delivering his opening remarks.