Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

16. 7. 88 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 186/9

## II

_(Preparatory Acts)_

# COMMISSION

Re-examined proposal for a Council Decision (EEC) on a research and development
programme for the European Economic Community in the field of applied metrology and

chemical analysis (1988 to 1992) — Community Bureau of Reference — BCR

_COM(88) 357 final — SYN 100_

_(Submitted by the Commission pursuant to Article 149 (2) (d) of the EEC Treaty on 23 June 1988)_

(88/C 186/07)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES:

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Economic Community and, in particular, Article 130
q(2) thereof,

Whereas, to achieve this aim, it is important that the
Community supports collaborative activities having as
objective the harmonization of the measurements and
chemical analyses in the Member States so as to ensure
concordance of the results of tests and controls;

Whereas, to maximize the effect of this work, the results

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), ' achieved should be widely disseminated and publicized in

the appropriate circles;

In co-operation with the European Parliament,

Whereas work on metrology and chemical analysis in

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 1 progress in some European Free Trade Association
Social Committee ( [2] ), (EFTA) States could usefully be coordinated with

Community work under the present programme;

Whereas the Community has assigned itself the objective
of completing the internal market by 1992 for which it _i_
has the task of eliminating technical trade barriers mainly _r_
through the harmonisation of norms and technical regulations;

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

_i_ Whereas the Scientific and Technical Research

_r_ Committee (CREST) has expressed its opinion,

Whereas the terms of Article 130 K of the Treaty _r_
provide that implementation of the Framework ;
programme be carried out by means of specific
programmes developed within each of its action lines;

_r_

; _Article 1_

1. A research and development programme for the
' European Economic Community in the field of applied
metrology and chemical analyses as defined in Annex I,
is hereby adopted for a period of five years with effect
from 1 January 1988.

Whereas the framework programme of Community activities in the field of research and technological development adopted by the Council for the period 1987 to
1991 includes support to the application of technical '
nofms ( [3] );

' 2. Experimental work shall be carried out under
contract. The participants may be industrial organizations, research institutes, laboratories and universities
1 established in the Community.

r

Whereas the elimination of supplementary technical
barriers requires that the laboratories of the Member r
States have the technical means necessary to ensure the

j

uniform application of norms, technical regulations and
directives;

j _Article 2_

(') OJ No C 304/87, 14. 11. 1987, p. 4, and C 66/88, 11. 3.

1988, p. 5.
( [2] ) OJ No C 35/88, 8. 2. 1988, p. 3.
( [J] ) OJ No L 302, 24. 10. 1987.

The funds estimated as necessary for the execution of
the programme amount to 59 200 000 ECU, including
expenditure on a staff of 32.

_Article 3_

The Commission shall be responsible for the execution
of the programme. It shall be assisted in its function of

N o C 186/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 16. 7. 88

programme management by the Management and Coordination Advisory Committee (CGC) (scientific and
technological standards) created by Council Decision
84/338/Euratom, ECSC, EEC (»).

_Article 4_

1. The Commission is authorized to negotiate, in
accordance with Article 130N of the EEC Tretay,
agreements with non-Member States and international
organizations, in particular with those countries participating in European Cooperation in the field of Scientific
and Technological Research (COST) and those having
concluded framework agreements in S/T cooperation
with the Community with a view to associating them
wholly or partly with the programme.

2. These agreements, which are founded on the
criterion of mutual advantage, are concluded by the
Council, deciding by qualified majority, in cooperation
with the European Parliament.

(') OJ No L 177, 4. 7. 1984.

_Article 5_

The Commission shall address a report to the Council
and to the European Parliament at the end of the third
year on the basis of an evaluation of the results so far
achieved. This report shall be accompanied by
suggestions for changes which may be necessary in the
light of these results.

At the end of the programme, the Commission shall send
to Member States and the European Parliament a report
on the performance and results of the programme.

The abovementioned reports will be carried out having
regard to the evaluation criteria set out in Annex II to
this Decision and in conformity with the provisions of
Article 2 (2) of the framework programme.

_Article 6_

This Decision shall apply from 1 January 1988.

_Article 7_

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

_ANNEX I_

Programme summary

The objective of the programme is to improve the reliability of chemical analyses and physical
measurements (applied metrology) so as to achieve agreement of results in all Member States.

The projets will be chosen from those fields which are of priority importance for the Community as judged
from an economic, environmental or public health view point.

The priority fields are the following:

(a) analyses for food and agriculture, in particular:

analyses in livestock (foodstuffs, hormones, antibiotics, etc.) and of the quality of cereals, fruit and
vegetables,

analyses of the quality of processed food (nutritional properties, presence of dangerous substances,
bacterial contamination);

(b) analyses related to the environment, in particular:

determination of traces of dangerous compounds in various matrices),

— determination of air pollutants at the workplace,

— mutagenicity of chemical substances;

16. 7. 88 Official Journal of the European Communities N o C 186/11

(c) biomedical analyses, with priority to:

— the determination of enzymes and hormones (in human serum),

— haematological tests (e.g. blood coagulation),

— analyses related to cardiovascular diseases,

— analysis of tumour markers and drugs in the human body;

(d) analyses of (essentially non-ferrous) metals and surface analysis of materials;

(e) applied metrology. The emphasis will be placed on the measurement and calibration of the most
important parameters for test laboratories and industrial laboratories, in particular for quality control.
The subjects covered will include in particular:

— dimensional and mechanical metrology (in particular, measurements that are becoming increasingly
necessary for the verification of automatic machines) and the characterization of surface states,

— mechanical parameters, such as force and pressure,

— study of the performance and accuracy of new temperature measuring devices,

— improvement of optical metrology in the visible, ultraviolet and infra-red ranges and in the field of
fibre optics and lasers,

— measurements of electrical magnitudes, in particular at high frequency,

— acoustic measurements, in particular as regards sound-proofing,

— measurements relating to ultrasonics,

— liquid and gas flow measurements,

— methods of measurement of physical and material properties, such as thermal conductivity,
viscosity, etc.,

— methods of determination of the mechanical properties of metals (the work will cover only the
methods required for the accurate determination of these properties and not the characterization of
the materials),

— improvement of technological measurements in industry.

The activities include in particular:

— execution of measurement programmes involving the cooperation of laboratories in several Member
States (intercomparisons),

— improvement of methods of analysis and measurement,

— improvement of instruments necessary for high precision measurements,

— development of transfer standards,

— preparation and certification of reference materials,

— storage and distribution of reference materials,

— support for the setting-up at Community level of interlaboratory circuits for quality assurance,

— research grants in subjects covered by the programme,

— exchange and training of scientists in subjects covered by the programme, taking into account the
needs of the Member States that wish to improve their capabilities in these fields,

— dissemination of the results of the projects,

— well-targeted advertising of the reference materials and promotion of their sale.

N o C 186/12 Official Journal of the European Communities 16. 7. 88

_ANNEX_ _II_

Evaluation criteria

The programme will be evaluated in relation to the following criteria:

1. The extent to which the programme contributes to the development of the internal market, especially by
providing support for:

— the setting-up of directives or norms,

— the application of directives or norms,

— removing difficulties in relation to the application of commercial specifications;

2. The extent to which the participants benefit from their collaboration on projects (the acquisition of
know-how, the diffusion of information and improvement of methods, etc.). Any additional benefits,
apart from the results obtained, will also be assessed;

3. The extent to which the programme contributes to the development of collaboration between Member
States, especially in the areas of metrology and standardization (harmonization, coordination, collaboration in the development of new methods, etc.);

4. The extent to which the programme contributes effectively to the improvement of concordance in the
results of clinical chemistry and leads to closer interlaboratory cooperation.

ADDITIONAL DECLARATION

Amendment of the European Parliament not accepted by the Commission

Amendment No 1

_Article 2_

The funds estimated as necessary for the execution of the programme (1988 to 1991) amount to
59 200 000 ECU which includes expenditure on a staff of 32. The total amount of appropriations shall
be calculated definitively on the basis of the appropriations allocated annually by the budgetary
authority in the light of actual requirements.

The Commission rejects this amendment because its substance is already contained in Article 130P of the
EEC Treaty which states that 'the amount of the Community's annual contribution shall be laid down
under the budgetary procedure'.