Sturzenegger Celebrated the Elimination of a Regulation by Showing His Appliances

The Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation, Federico Sturzenegger, celebrated the elimination of mandatory electrical certification for imported products that comply with international standards.

Through his account on X (formerly Twitter), the official shared images of his household appliances to illustrate the effects of the new regulatory framework.

End of local certification for international standard products

Sturzenegger described the previous system as a "bureaucratic absurdity", explaining that even products from globally recognized brands had to obtain local certification.

• "If you wanted to import an Apple computer, of which millions of units are sold worldwide, you had to obtain local certification to prove its electrical system was safe", he exemplified.
• He also questioned Resolution 1038/21, signed by the former Secretary of Commerce, Paula Español, which extended certification to LED lighting equipment despite its low voltage posing no electrical risk.

With the new regulation, imported products that comply with international certifications will no longer need to undergo additional procedures in Argentina.

Details of Resolution 16/25

Resolution 16/25, signed by Ezequiel Marzorati, head of the Secretariat of Commerce,  repeals resolutions 731/87, 524/98, and 169/18, eliminating electrical certification when products meet the standards of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

According to Sturzenegger, this measure streamlines imports and reduces costs by:

• Eliminating unnecessary controls  on products under 50V.
• Simplifying certification for national products.
• Eliminating Customs intervention in these types of regulations.
• Allowing new plug modalities  and the use of certified adapters.

Impact example: imported refrigerators

The minister used the example of an imported refrigerator to show the impact of the reform:

Before Resolution 16/25:

• It had to undergo national certification.
• Receive audits at its plants abroad.
• Send samples for testing once a year.
• Adapt plugs to local regulations.

Now:

• International certifications will be sufficient to allow its commercialization in Argentina.
• If a product has certifications like CE (Europe), EAC (Eurasia), CCC (China), UKCA (Great Britain), NOM (Mexico), SEC (Chile), Inmetro (Brazil), or UL (USA), it will no longer require local approval.
• Customs will not intervene in these cases.

Elimination of obstacles and bureaucracy

Sturzenegger highlighted that this measure is part of a broader process of reducing unnecessary regulations and thanked the Secretariat of Commerce team for the progress.

He also emphasized the citizen contribution through the initiative  "Report Bureaucracy", which allowed identifying specific cases of administrative obstacles.

"Congratulations to the entire Secretariat of Commerce team led by Ezequiel Marzorati, who continues to break down the barriers erected over so many years," concluded the minister.