On December 25, 2024, the Serbian Supervisory Authority for Electronic Communications and Postal Services (RATEL) announced that it will no longer conduct conformity assessments for radio equipment as of January 1, 2025. This change, driven by Article 32.4 of the Radio Equipment Rulebook (Official Gazette of Serbia, No. 24/24), marks a major shift in the regulatory responsibilities of the radio equipment industry. Applications for conformity assessment or certificate of conformity submitted on or before 31 December 2024 will be processed in accordance with the current rulebook and established procedures.

As of January 1, 2025, the Conformity Assessment Body (CAB) will assume full responsibility for assessing conformity and issuing the relevant certifications. The CAB must comply with the Rulebook for Radio Equipment and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (RS Official Gazette, No. 11/12) and apply to the competent authority for appointment in accordance with the requirements of Article 32, paragraph 3, of the Codebook. One of the previously designated certification bodies is KVALITET, which is also Serbia's NCB in the CB system.

Transitioning to CAB for compliance assessment means manufacturers need to be prepared in advance to meet compliance requirements. A key consideration is that certificates issued by different CABs may slightly alter product labeling requirements. For example, the ID of the certification body is a mandatory part of the product label.

Click this link to view the original RATEL announcement on this.

On March 22, 2024, Serbia published the official gazette RS 24/2024 in which the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications (MIT) updated the regulations on radio equipment. The regulations set out the requirements for radio equipment, including the class of radio equipment, compliance with radio equipment and software combinations, registration, conformity assessment, and equipment use. The regulation applies to radio equipment, with the exception of the following: radio equipment for use by radio amateurs, marine equipment, aviation equipment, customized evaluation kits for research and development, radio equipment specifically intended for activities related to state activities in the field of public safety, national defense, national security and criminal investigation.

Article 31 of the Regulation restates that manufacturers should use the Serbian Conformity Mark before Serbia signs the Agreement on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance (ACAA) with the EU or accedes to the EU, and after the above-mentioned date, the CE mark.

Annex 11 of the regulation sets out the requirements for common chargers, which are in line with the requirements for common charger in the European Union. The radio equipment must be compatible with a USB-C charger, and the consumer must have the option to purchase a radio with or without a charger.

The new regulations came into effect on March 30, 2024, and will be implemented from June 1, 2024. However, the requirements for personal information and privacy protection, fraud prevention, emergency services, and accessibility will be implemented on August 1, 2025, which is consistent with CE certification, and the implementation date of the requirements for common chargers will also be consistent with CE certification.

Click on this link to view the official gazette for 24/2024.