The Organisation's governing body, the Council, has the power to adopt Decisions and Recommendations. Decisions are legally binding on all those Member countries which do not abstain at the time they are adopted. Recommendations are not legally binding, but practice accords them great moral force as representing the political will of Member countries and there is an expectation that Member countries will do their utmost to fully implement a Recommendation. There are three Council Decisions related to MAD.
The three OECD Council Acts related to the Mutual Acceptance of Data
- Council Act C(81)30 - Decision concerning Mutual Acceptance of Data in the Assessment of Chemicals which contains contains two distinct parts, one which is mandatory, and one which is a recommendation:
1. Part 1 requires that data generated in a Member country in accordance with OECD Test Guidelines and Principles of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) shall be accepted in other Member countries for assessment purposes and other uses relating to the protection of human health and the environment.
2. Part II recommends countries apply the OECD Test Guidelines and the OECD Principles of GLP in their testing of chemicals.
- Council Act C(97)114 - Decision concerning the Adherence of Non-Member Countries to the Council Acts Related to Mutual Acceptance of Data in the Assessment of Chemicals – which is an internal, procedural act, that allows non-OECD Members to join the Mutual Acceptance of Data (MAD) system by adhering to C(81)30 and C(89)87 and sets out a procedure for this purpose
Further reading