Round Table of Regional Legal Metrology Organizations took place on 27 September 2022 under the auspices of OIML, where representatives of all regional legal metrology organizations (RLMOs) took part alongside with CIML and BIML representatives. Valery Hurevich, COOMET President, represented COOMET at that meeting. Andrey Pankov, Chair of the COOMET Task Group on the Issues of Digital Transformation in Metrology also took part in the meeting.

Information about the activities of all RLMOs (AFRIMETS, APLMF, COOMET, GULFMET, SIM, WELMEC) in year 2022 was presented during the meeting.

The subjects of debate at the meeting included the following topics:

(1) Digitalization and

(2) Smart meters.

Representatives of all regional organizations exchanged information about their experience in those fields.

To prepare a COOMET report, a survey was conducted among members of TC 2 "Legal Metrology" regarding national regulation of smart meters. The following aspects were highlighted in the findings:

1. The results of the survey demonstrate ambiguous understanding of the term "smart meters" in different countries (in some countries they are considered as any electronic measuring devices that allow reading the required legally controlled and fiscal data from them).

2. The results of the survey demonstrate in general interest from the countries in using smart meters, as well as a lack of uniform understanding from the regulators at the national level regarding this innovative approach to metering and resource saving potential.

In our view, there is also no understanding of benefits for consumers from working with smart meters (the legislation does not define benefits for consumer from using "smart measuring systems"; automated metering systems are widely introduced both in the industrial and domestic sectors, but it is not clear whether they meet the concept of "smart systems").

3. It is appropriate to continue discussion of the problem of using smart meters in COOMET countries within COOMET TC 2.

COOMET suggested formulating a term "smart meter" (as a measuring instrument, with the indication of its metrological features in view of the "smart" technology), so that this term has the same meaning in all countries and regions.

Information was also presented to the participants about the activities of the ad hoc OIML Group for counties and economies with emerging metrology systems (CEEMS) and about functioning of the OIML Certification System (OIML-CS). 

Discussion points, raised at the Round Table, will be debated within COOMET TC 2 "Legal Metrology" in 2022.