Legislation Details
- Full Title: Cabinet Resolution Concerning the Technical Regulations for Legal Measurements Units
- Law Type: Cabinet Resolution
- Law Number: No. (85) of 2023
- Issued Date: 20 Jul 2023
- Effective Date: 30 Aug 2023
- Official Gazette: No. 756
- Sector: Industry and Technical Standardisation
- Status: Active
- Number of Articles: 19
- Chapters/Parts: 0
- Amendments: 0
Summary
This Cabinet Resolution establishes the technical regulations for legal measurement units in the United Arab Emirates. It defines the legal measurement units, symbols, and prefixes that must be used in specific areas, such as legal measurement instruments, pre-packaged goods, trading, and official documents. The Resolution aims to standardize measurement practices across the UAE to ensure accuracy, transparency, and compliance with international metrology standards. (Cabinet Resolution Concerning the Technical Regulations for Legal Measurements Units, 2023, Art. 1-2) The Resolution is significant for businesses and individuals in the UAE, as it mandates the use of legal measurement units in various commercial and regulatory contexts. Failure to comply with the requirements can result in administrative penalties, making it crucial for stakeholders to understand and adhere to the new regulations. (Cabinet Resolution Concerning the Technical Regulations for Legal Measurements Units, 2023, Art. 6)
What is the scope and purpose of this law?
The scope of this Cabinet Resolution is to regulate the use of legal measurement units, symbols, and prefixes in the UAE. It applies to areas such as legal measurement instruments, pre-packaged goods, trading, legal inspections, health and safety, advertisements, and official documents. (Cabinet Resolution Concerning the Technical Regulations for Legal Measurements Units, 2023, Art. 2) The purpose of the Resolution is to standardize measurement practices in the UAE and ensure compliance with international metrology standards. It aims to promote accuracy, transparency, and consistency in the use of measurement units across various sectors. (Cabinet Resolution Concerning the Technical Regulations for Legal Measurements Units, 2023, Art. 1-2)
What are the key definitions under this law?
The Cabinet Resolution provides the following key definitions:
- Ministry: Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology
- Minister: Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology
- Competent Authority: The federal and local government authority in the UAE that has jurisdiction to implement the provisions of this Resolution
- Legal Measurement Units: Units of measurement that shall be used exclusively in the specific fields according to the legislation in force in the UAE
- Prefix: A letter or group of letters before a word that partly indicates meaning (such as Milli, kilo, mega)
- Legal Measurement Instrument: A measuring instrument used in trading, or which affects the health and safety of individuals or the environment due to incorrect indicators
- International System of Units (SI): An interconnected system of units based on the International System of Quantities, approved by the General Conference on Weights and Measures
- Base Units: The legal measurement units approved by the General Conference on Weights and Measures, as units that are dimensionally independent of each other
- Derived Units: Legal measurement units established as products of powers of base units, in accordance with the algebraic relationships governing the associated quantities
(Cabinet Resolution Concerning the Technical Regulations for Legal Measurements Units, 2023, Art. 1)
What are the main obligations and requirements?
The Cabinet Resolution imposes the following main obligations and requirements: 1. The use of legal measurement units, symbols, and prefixes is mandatory in the specified areas, such as legal measurement instruments, pre-packaged goods, trading, legal inspections, health and safety, advertisements, and official documents. (Cabinet Resolution Concerning the Technical Regulations for Legal Measurements Units, 2023, Art. 2) 2. The legal measurement units, symbols, and prefixes adopted by the UAE consist of the base units, derived units, and prefixes specified in the attached tables. (Cabinet Resolution Concerning the Technical Regulations for Legal Measurements Units, 2023, Art. 4) 3. The use and notation of prefixes, symbols, quantities, units, and measurement results must conform to the recommendations of the General Conference on Weights and Measures and the mandatory technical regulations issued in this regard. (Cabinet Resolution Concerning the Technical Regulations for Legal Measurements Units, 2023, Art. 4) 4. The use of local measurement units not recognized internationally is restricted to resolving local disputes and must be used exclusively in verbal form. (Cabinet Resolution Concerning the Technical Regulations for Legal Measurements Units, 2023, Art. 5)
Which authorities or bodies are responsible for enforcement?
The Cabinet Resolution assigns the following responsibilities for implementing and supervising the requirements: 1. The Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology is responsible for implementing and supervising the requirements of this Resolution in collaboration with the authorities authorized to carry out metrological control within the UAE, as well as with the competent authorities, scientific institutes, and universities. (Cabinet Resolution Concerning the Technical Regulations for Legal Measurements Units, 2023, Art. 3) 2. The Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology has the authority to add or cancel any legal measurement units or to amend any of the tables attached to the Resolution in response to scientific or technical developments, as required by the public interest. (Cabinet Resolution Concerning the Technical Regulations for Legal Measurements Units, 2023, Art. 6) 3. The Minister, in coordination with the competent authority, shall issue the necessary Resolutions to apply the provisions of this Cabinet Resolution. (Cabinet Resolution Concerning the Technical Regulations for Legal Measurements Units, 2023, Art. 7)
What are the penalties for non-compliance?
The Cabinet Resolution does not specify any penalties for non-compliance. Instead, it states that in the event of a violation of the provisions of this Resolution, the administrative penalties stipulated in Cabinet Resolution No. (64) of 2022 regarding the National Measurement System shall be applied. (Cabinet Resolution Concerning the Technical Regulations for Legal Measurements Units, 2023, Art. 6)
When did this law come into effect?
The Cabinet Resolution Concerning the Technical Regulations for Legal Measurements Units was issued on 20 July 2023 and will come into effect 30 days after its publication in the Official Gazette, which was on 31 July 2023. (Cabinet Resolution Concerning the Technical Regulations for Legal Measurements Units, 2023, Art. 9)
Source Documents
This article analyses Cabinet Resolution Concerning the Technical Regulations for Legal Measurements Units for legal research and educational purposes. For the purpose of interpretation and application, reference must be made to the original Arabic text. In case of conflict, the Arabic text prevails. This does not constitute legal advice.