CELEX: 51987PC0444
Language: pt
Date: 1987-10-19
Title: Proposta de REGULAMENTO (CEE) DO CONSELHO que adopta um programa de investigação e desenvolvimento para a Comunidade Económica Europeia no domínio da Metrologia Aplicada e da Análise Química (1988-1992) (Serviço Comunitário de Referência - BCR) (Apresentada pela Comissão)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (87) 444
Vol. 1987/0230
 ---pagebreak--- Disclaimer
Conformément au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983 concernant
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la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, p. 1) modifié en dernier
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In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 concerning
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In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom 1. Februar
1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und
der Europäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI. L 43 vom 15.2.1983, S. 1), zuletzt geändert durch die
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 ---pagebreak---          COMISSÃO DAS COMUNIDADES EUROPEIAS
VERSÃO REVISÃO                                   COM(87 ) 444 final / 2
ESTE DOCUMENTO ANULA E SUBSTITUI
                                                 Bruxelas , 19 de Outubro de 1987
0 DOCUMENTO C0MC87 ) 444 final .
DIZ RESPEITO A TODAS AS VERSÕES .
                                   Proposta de
                         REGULAMENTO ( CEE ) DO CONSELHO
        que adopta um programa de investigação e desenvolvimento
             para a Comunidade Económica Europeia no domínio
               da Metrologia Aplicada e da Análise Química
                                   ( 1988-1992 )
                 ( Serviço Comunitário de Referência - BCR )
                          ( Apresentada pela Comissão )
                                                       -_ /
                                                             J.
  C0M(87 ) 444 final / 2
 ---pagebreak---                                            2
 INTRODUCTION
 1 . For about 10 years the Community has , through the OCR programme , provided
 the laboratories of the Member States with a means of carrying out
 collaborative measurement studies in the fields of metrology ( physical
measurements ) and chemical analyses . The objective has been to improve the
methods of measurements , their accuracy and , thereby , their harmony throughout
the Community .
To understand the role of the programme , it is important to remember that
common written standards are essential to achieve harmonization but not
sufficient by themselves to avoid discrepancies . Even when applying a
standardized method , laboratories can still find very different results .
For that reason , almost fifty percent of all projects which were undertaken in
the programme are related to existing written standards or Community
Directives . Experts who have to apply them have realized that these norms or
Directives would have little harmonization effect in the absence of suitable
means by which the laboratories could verify that their methods of analyses or
measurement have been correctly applied .
The SCR programme does' not produce any written standard ; it provides the
technical support f'or the correct implementation of methods of measurements .
It is necessary to ensure that it is technically possible for laboratories to
obtain acceptable results . It is typically the task of the Community to
encourage and support collaboration between Member States to improve common
methods and to develop common means of calibration and verification of the ■
methods of measurements .         -                                       –
2 . Activities of the programme- in the . field of metrology tan be illustrated by
the following examples .
A project was undertaken following disputes over measurement results
concerning double-glazed windows , which had led to import restrictions between
Member States . An intercomparison involving about fifteen laboratories showed
that , if conditions of measurements were better specified than they are at
present in written standards , laboratories would obtain good agreement .
Also in the field of metrology , a project on the flow measurements     in
pipelines for natural gas detected a systematic error of 0.2% in the results
of one of the Member States and so put an end to difficult disputes over the
quantities of gas exported .
Two projects can illustrate the work in the field of chemical analysis :
- the determination of lead and cadmium in blood , as required to monitor -
workers exposed to hostile industrial environments , has been the subject of
several successive intercomparisons which enventually led to the certification
of samples winch are now" used as reference material by many laboratories in
the Community .
 ---pagebreak---                                           3
 - the determination of aflatoxin P11 in milk , a dangerous toxin which is
 subject to regulation imposing severe restrictions on the maximum content .
 Here also , the intercomparisons were followed by the certification of
 reference materials which are now used by laboratories to verify their
methods .
 3 . The present IBCR programme terminates on 31st December , 1987 and the
 Commission proposes to the Council to approve the new programme which includes
 the requirements which are considerably increased as a result of the goals of
 Community policies and mainly those regarding the completion of the Internal
Market .
The present 3CR programme
4 . The main feature of the BCR programme is that of bringing together
 laboratories of the Member States to improve measurements for which there are
difficulties or disagreements . This collaboration implies exchange of results
and experience between the participants . The transfer of know-how is the
essence of the functioning of BCR programme .
In general , therefore , projects are carried out by several laboratories .
Before the start of a project , the detailed definition of the work is
discussed with experts of possibly all Member States . The members of the CGC
are normally informed before the meetings and ipvfted to suggest appropriate
experts . In case of an intercomparison , the measurement programme to be ~
carried out by each participant is defined and discussed at the meeting .
The projects are then submitted for opinion to the CGC . At the end of each
project , the results are discussed with all participants , in order to discover
the causes of possible discrepancies .
If necessary , a second intercomparison is organized to verify that adequate
agreement can be reached . Sometimes several intercomparisons are needed ,
mainly in the field of chemical analyses ..                   * -
In some rare projects , the actual work involves only one laboratory in its
initial phase . In such cases , the project includes special- action to transfer
the results : workshops , secondment of specialist^, intercomparisons .
The results of the present programme are reviewed, in Appendix 3 .
5 . The BCR programme has been evaluated by a group of independent experts
during the second half of 1936 . Their report states that the work of the
Commission has been of 'a consistent high quality' and that 'the BCiT
programme has established a solid international reputation' .
6 . Definition of the new programme
As the BCR programme must provide a technical support to harmonization within
the Community , in particular , that which is necessary for the completion of
the Internal Market , the Commission has chosen to follow the requirements of
the l.'hite Paper,. The implementation of the Community pcHcy on the environment
and health also requires considerable improvements in chemical analysisr
Finally it is recommended that the current work in the field of applied
metrology ( e.g. dimensional , electrical , optical measurements ) continue . The
effect of t ho programme in this respect is to ensure that calibrations
furnished by the Motional metrology laboratories are equivalent throughout the
Community . This is considered vital to the development of a perfectly coherent
basic infrastructure .
 ---pagebreak---                                          4
7 . The Commission has therefore selectee' 5 priority areas for the proposed DCR
programme :
-  analyses related to foodstuffs and agricultural produce
-  analyses related to the environment
-  analyses related to health
-  the analysis of metals
- physical measurements for trade and industry ( i.e. applied metrology )
8 . For each priority area the Commission has consulted industry , government
laboratories and its own services in order to restrict the themes to those of
the highest priority .
The statement of the programme , given in Annex I , contributes to the proposed
workplan , it being understood that it is necessary to retain sufficient
flexibility to take into account changes in circumstances which may arise
during the course of the programme . The exercise of such, flexibility will be
in strict collaboration with the CGC .
 ---pagebreak---                                            5
  Programme implémentation
  9 . The proposed programme will be implemented in 3 types of activities :
  - intercomparisons
  - the development of means of calibration ( transfer standards or etalons and
  reference materials ) which are necessary for laboratories to verify their
  performance and maintain agreement with the results of others
  - the development of new methods of measurements .
  In addition , the Commission will offer scholarships for doctorate and
 post-doctorate work in the content of the programme defined in Annex I. The
 Commission will also give special attention to supporting the secondment of
  scientific personnel , particularly from Spain , Portugal and Greece , in order
  to accelerate the training of specialists .
 10 . Projects will be selected according to the following criteria :
 - technical objective , this having to correspond to one of the priority themes
 of the programme
 - economic importance or their importance with respect to the environnement or
 health care
 - the number of countries interested
 Financial? support to projects       ~
 11 . For projects involving a succession of intercomparisons , the Community
 will cover the costs necessary for the collaboration ( meetings , samples ,
 evaluation of results , etc ), the costs of the measurements being borne by the
 participants .
 For projects which include a substantial amount of research and development ,
 the financial contribution of the Commission could be upto 50% of the cost of
 the work .     .                        .                   *            .
 Projects or parts of projects which are pure services ( e.g. the development of
 appropriate samples for analysis ) will be financed 100 % by the Community .
 Dissémination of results
 1 ?-. The dissemination of results will be made along the following lines
 In the field of metrology , the results and consequences of intercomparisons
 are automatically disseminated through the participating laboratories which
_are responsible for providing calibrations to all users in their respective
 countries . However , as the laboratories who have participated in such
 intcrcomparisons had considerable benefit , there is now a need to provide a
 similar service to the new Member States . Limited intcrcomparisons will be
 supported for then, as necessary , on subjects previously covered by the
 programme . More generally , for Member States which c'o not have the possibility
 of participating in intercompari sons , the programme will provide support for
 the secondment of personnel in laboratories of the-Corimurii ty for periods of up
 to Three months .
 In the field of analytical chemistry , the benefits are not transferred to the
 ust?rs through a central national laboratory . Therefore , projects often include
 the preparation of reference materials to allow dissemination of the results
 to other laboratories . Samples of reference materials can be used by any
 laboratory to verify its methods ant! improve them in order to become
 ---pagebreak---                                            6
 compatible with those of other laboratories . The report , which is disseminated
 with the sample , gives an account of all the work done by those who have
 participated in the project and the recommendations that were drawn from the
 collaboration .
 The Commission shares the opinion of the evaluation panel for centralised
 information on reference materials . The Commission had already provided •
 financial support to the creation of a data bank , which will be managed by a
national organisation and will be accessible to users throughout the world .
 Already in 1973 , the BCR programme , in collaboration with the JRC , produced
 the first guide to reference materials then available in the world .
 Collaboration with the JRC
 13 . The JRC has provided , in the past , indispensable support to BCR for the
 conditioning of reference materials and the storage and the distribution of
samples to customers . The C8NM has a long experience in the preparation of
special samples of nuclear materials ; this experience could be of benefit for
the execution of the BCR programme .
 From 1988 onwards , the contribution of the JRC will be increased and will be
financied by an amount of about 3 mioECU by the BCR programme for the period
1988-1992 .
Moreover , the JRC will continue to have the possibility to participate with
other laboratories in BCR intercomparisons .       –
The Commission has taken note of the comments of the evaluation panel on the
administration of the reference materials and will look into the possibility
of a further streamlining of the administrative procedure .
International collaboration
14. It is proposed to extend participation in the BCR programme to the EFTA
countries, which are already cooperating with the Community in many relevant
organisations and , in particular , through CEN / CENELEC . T|jis participation
should take the form of a participation as full members with an appropriate
financial input .
15 for several years , the European metrology institutes have been meeting irr
the context of the 17 member West European Metrology Club ( WEMC ) with the aim
of exchanging information and improving coordination of national activities ,
where necessary and possible . It is now under -discussion to give the WEMC a
more formal organisational form under the name of EUROMET . The Commission
supports this initiative which can improve the exchange of information and
ccordination of national activities .
Estimated budgetary requirement
16 . The objectives of technical harmonization that the Community has set for
the achievement of the Internal Market- call for a corresponding effort in the
field of measurements and chemical analysis . The Commission reviewed the main
problems to be faced and , far from presenting an exhaustive programme , it has
limited it to the themes with the highest priority .
The number of intercomparisons to undertake is more than double of what could
be achieved in the present programme . A similar effort is necessary for
applied metrology . The details of the estimated costs are given in Annex 2
and result in a total budget of 59.2 MioECU . This includes the expenditure for
a staff of 32 ( including one official for dissemination of information ).
 ---pagebreak---                                         7
The present programme had a budget of 25 HioECU and a staff of 16 .
The work needed for repeated intercomparisons in the field of Chemical
Analyses cost little money but require more personnel than in other
programmes . The Commission should keep the indispensable role of honest broker
to stimulate and develop collaboration and mutual confidence between national
laboratories .
Evaluation
17 . After the third year the programme will be evaluated by an indipendent
group of experts . The cost of this evaluation will be approximately 80.000
icu .
Conclusion
18 . It is asked that the Council approve the present proposal before the 31 -■
December 1987 to avoid discontinuity in the activities of the 3CR programme .
 ---pagebreak---                                           8
                                    APPENDIX 1
                           THE CONTENT OF THE PROGRAMME
In addition to the internal consultations within the Commission Services ,
fifteen meetings of experts from industry , research institutes and government
services were organized to review each one of the areas to be covered and
select the priority themes . The programme has been defined in great detail .
While the Commission will make full use of this extensive preparation to
conduct the programme during the next five years , a sufficient degree of
flexibility must be maintained to allow new and urgent topics to be dealt with
as they occur and to review periodically the priority themes in collaboration
with the CGC .
1 . ANALYSES FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
    Agriculture employs 10 million people in the Community . About
    three-quarters of agricultural produce , worth some 200.000 Mio ECU , is
    consumed by the food processing industry which employs about 3 million
~ people, i.e. 7 % of the total employment in industry . The- turnover of
    agrofood industry in the Community is about 300.000 Mio ECU .
    Because of the economic importance of this sector and the sensitivity of
    the consumer to all quality aspects , it is not surprising that a large
    effort is planned in the White Paper in particular in the following fields .
         Veterinary and phytosanitary controls
           quality of milk and meat , hormone growth promoters ,
           antibiotics and other residues , animal feedstuffs ,
           pesticides in animal feedstuff , in fruit and vegetables ,
           shellfish
         Processed food
           additives , preservatives and flavourings
           nutritional properties ( labelling )
           infant formulae and dietetic food
           fruit juices
           bacterial contaminations ( microbiology )
    Work on all these subjects is included in the BCR programme because
 ~ experience shows considerable differences between results of various
    laboratories . Variations by factors of 10 or 100 have been observed ;
    these are of course unacceptable for the correct implementation of
    harmonized regulations .
    The details of the work to be undertaken were discussed with the General
    Directorates concerned and with experts from the Member States and
    industry .
 ---pagebreak---                                       9
 2 • ANALYSES_REL AIED_IO_IHE_ENVI RONMENJ
      The monitoring of the environment poses acute analytical problems' of
      great concern for the Member States , the national laboratories and
      industry .
      Analytical methods must detect minute traces of toxic metals or of
      dangerous organic compounds ( dioxins , pesticides , etc .) where the
      results of laboratories are known to differ by as much as a factor of
      100 .
      The major priorities are :
     - determination of pollutants in fresh water and the analyses of
        bacterial contamination ;
     - determination of pollutants in seawater , in living marine organisms
        ( plants , fish );
     - analysis required for monitoring damage caused by acid rain to
        forests ;                                                  _
     - improvement of. methods for the_determination of the most dangerous^,
        organic compounds such as : carcinogens , dioxins *
        polychlorobi phenyls ;
     - analysis related to the exposure of workers to dangerous industrial
        atmospheres ;
~ - tests related to the Directive on Chemicals, in particular
        mutagenicity test .      ~                          _
                           –                             «
3 . ANALYSES_RELATED_TO_HEALTH                                       -
     Member States have recognized during the past few years that -the
     quality of medical analysis was not satisfactory and that this had led
     to considerable wastage of time and money ( through the need to repeat
     measurements ), and was even a threat to the health of patients . Several
     Member States . have created systems .of periodic circulation of samples
     that . all laboratories must analyse . These Quality Control Schemes had
     a very favourable effect on analytical quality ( blood , serum ), but they
     are limited to a small number of parameters such as glucose , urea ,
     cholesterol , sodium, potassium , calcium , etc            _
     Many other parameters are not covered partly because of the lack of
     reference data . In routine work , these parameters are determined by
     commercial diagnostic kits or automatic equipment . The results
     essentially depend of the supplier of the kit or of the equipment . It
     iswidely accepted that there is an urgent need to improve the
     situation through intensive collaboration and to establish reference
     materials that would be recognized throughout the' Communi ty-* ‘They
    would , for the first time make it possibly for industry to produce
    diagnostic products based on a common reference point . The usefulness
    of reference materials in this field is illustrated by two examples in
    Appendix 3 ( thromboplast ins , cortisol ). *
 ---pagebreak---                                                            10
      Consultation with the national health authorities and with industry
      resulted in the selection of the following priority themes : the
     determination of enzymes and hormones ( in human serum ), haematological
      tests ( e.g. blood coagulation ), analyses related to cardiovascular
     diseases , tumor markers and drugs in the human body .
4 . ANALYSES OF METALS
      For many years the non-ferrous metals industry has collaborated within the
     BCR programme to solve some of its most difficult analytical problems .
     The work now planned will concern the need for reference materials in the
     field of copper , zinc and their alloys , determination of noble metals in
     various metals and ores , and the analysis of high purity metals required in
     the semiconductors industry . It also covers the new techniques of surface
     analysis which are of increasing importance for semiconductors ,
     microelectronics , catalysts and corrosion studies . The work will consist
     primarily in establishing the reference materials and calibration methods
     which are essential if agreement of the results of different laboratories
     is to be achieved .
     Particular attention will -be given to~the reference materials needed to~
     determine the thickness of dopant in semiconductors .
5 - APPLIEO_METROLOGY
     Each Member State has , in some form , a central metrology organisation which
     provides industry and other users with the calibrations that they need . In
     order to ensure harmony of measurement in the Community , it is important
     that these institutes provide equivalent calibration . Comparisons were
 - made in the previous programmes and led to very useful collaboration and to
     improvements in - many areas .                                      *
     In the proposed programme , the projects will continue to be developed in
     the same spirit but moving closer to direct industrial applications . The-
     work will consist for a large part in intercomparisons involving institutes
     and industry laboratories from possibly all Member States .               It will also
     include where necessary the development of the measurement standards
     (" etalons ") , also known as transfer standards , which are necessary to
   " calibrate or verify measuring instruments in the work place .
     D i^mens iona l__and_mec h a rvi^c a L__ine t ro L°g^                                ' "
     The most frequent measurements in manufacturing industry are those related
     to size , shape and surface finish . When automated , these measurements are
     made by sophisticated equipment which should be verified ; the measurements
     are often at the limit of present technology and it is important to pool
     efforts to arrive at harmonized solutions .              Initial work was . done in the
     current programme for the so called three coordinate measuring machines .
     It consisted in comparing the performance of _ laboratories and the software^
     used oh various machines.'
 ---pagebreak---                                  11
 This work has now to be extended to other types of machinery , for
example for the verification of robots used for high precision work and
 in automated work-shops ( flexible manufacturing ).
When measuring equipment includes computers , it is important to verify
that the software used to evaluate the data and to calculate the final
results is not a cause of errors .   This requires appropriate testing of
the software itself and it is useful to develop harmonized test methods
based on broad Community collaboration .
Température
Temperature is a parameter of high importance for process industry .
There is now a variety of new devices for which calibration methods
will have to be developed , preferably in collaborative exercises .
§iS2££l£âi_!!!Ë££2.k22Z
The requirements identified in this field concern measurements such as
power , resistance and capacitance at very high frequencies . In
addition , work wil_l continue on methods of measurement for
electromagnetic interferences especially as applied to measuring
instruments ( legal metrology ).                          _ –           –'
22£Î£2i_2Ê££2i2£X
In addition to the practical work on measurements related to lamps and
illumination , a number of topics , such as ultra-violet , infra-red ,
laser measurements need closer attention . This activity is connected
to the rapid development of optics for many industrial applications .
Flow measurements                 -                  *
The metering of liquids and gases for sale to the public and for the •
imposition of tax is governed by national regulations ( legal
metrology ). This field has been covered for many years by Community
Directives .                               **
However , in recent times a large number of new meters with special
advantages in specific applications have been developed and it becomes
necessary to investigate their properties for metrology purposes ( e.g.
measurement of liquified gases ).
Besides legal aspects , the commercial importance of accurate metering
of gas or oil is very considerable ( see section 2 ). The work planned
consists of :
- increasing our understanding of the behaviour of orifice plates
   widely used for metering in pipelines ;
- studying the effect of installation condit-ions on the readings of
   different meters ;
- studying the effect of fluid properties on the different meters .
 ---pagebreak---                                12
 Acoustics and ultrasonics
 Noise measurements have taken on considerable importance because of the
number of regulations which have been adopted for noise abatement both
 indoors and outdoors . They are the cause of difficulties in trade
because of differences between laboratories and between national
 standard methods . In addition , precision requirements in the
 regulations are sometimes beyond the capabilities of the best
 laboratories . It is therefore planned to improve the basic methods of
acoustic measurements and to work on specific practical problems such
as windows , insulation material and noise emission of various types of
machines .
The effort undertaken to develop the ultrasonic measurements will be
continued with particular reference to the rapidly increasing medical
applications .
Measurement of material orooerties
               _ _     _ – –
Measurement of material properties have considerable technical
importance and are the subject of many written standards ( norms ). As
has beerwobserved irrmany cases , these norms are not- sufficient and- –
laboratories need transfer standards .on reference materials to verify'
or to calibrate their instruments .
A list of priority requirements were defined ( see Appendix ) in the
field of small particles measurements , physical properties such as
viscosity , thermal conductivity of insulating materials and methods of
testing of engineering materials, to determine their mechanical
properties ." The programme will not generate data to characterize
particular materials but will_study in considerable depth the methods
used to measure the properties .                  *
 ---pagebreak---                                      13
                                   APPENDIX 2
                  FUNDING OF THE PROGRAMME AND STAFFING NEEDS
The funding estimates result from the discussions at the expert meetings
that were held to prepare the programme ( cf . Section 3.2 ). For
 intercomparisons , it is known from experience that the expenditure for the
Community vary from 80 to 150.000 ECU per collaborative project . In the
area of metrology there will be some projects involving research and
development which will cost up to 300.000 ECU and for which Community
funding would be 50% .
The amounts necessary for each area of the programme together with the
number of A grade personnel , are given in the following table .
                                                    Resources necessary
                                              A Grade personnel       Mio ECU
Analyses  for food and agriculture                  A                    5.8“
Analyses  for environment                           4                    5.8
Analyses  related to health                         3                    4.8
Analyses  for metals                                2                    3.0
Applied metrology                                   4                   18.8
Dissémination of information                        1
Coord-ination ( Head of Division )                  1
                                                   19                   38.2
Commission staffing needs
The experience of the two last SCR programmes has shown that because the
projects involve a large degree-of collaboration they also require
considerable work from Commission personnel even when the expenditure in
contracts is very small . The role of Commission experts is of crucial
importance to bring laboratories together and stimulate collaboration .
In the field of chemical analysis , intercomparisons are often repeated
several times and one A official cannot manage more than ten such projects
simultaneously or terminate more than 2 per year . In the field of
metrology , intercomparisons are easier and therefore require fewer
Commission Staff .
The details on A staff required are shown in the table above .
 ---pagebreak---                                  14
The total staff necessary is as follows :
        A Grade                              19
Auxiliary personnel
        8 Grade                               3
        C Grade                              10
        Total                                32
Total funding
        Contracts                          38.2 Mio ECU
        Personnel                           12.5
        Administration Costs                  5.5
        Services of JRC                       3
        Total                               59 .2 Mio ECU
N.B. : 60% of the Administration costs are. absorbed by the expenses for
       meetings of experts and of contractors which are essential to
       implement contacts and collaboration .    -
 ---pagebreak---                                      15
                                    APPENDIX 3
                       RESULTS FROM THE PREVIOUS PROGRAMME
 A total of 300 measurement projects have been undertaken by the programme
 since it began in 1973 , 115 of them being started in the last programme
 ( 1983-1987 ).
 Applied Metrology
 For metrology , the projects generally associate all the national metrology
 laboratories and allow them to improve and harmonize their methods thus
 ensuring that a common level of calibration is available to industry
 throughout the Community . Many physical quantities were dealt with such
 as electric power , high voltage , high frequence voltage and power ,
 resistance , capacitance , mass , length , force , pressure , etc .
 As the topics are selected where difficulties are known to exist , each
 project has given the possibility for at least one laboratory to discover
weaknesses in the measurement procedure and to correct them . The projects
also gave to the laboratories who _are less wel-t equipped , the opportunity
 to confirm the accuracy .of the calibrations that they provide toindustry
 in their respective countries .
 Important results were also obtained in projects closely related to
practical applications where industry laboratories had participated .
A project on the flow measurements which are made in pipelines for natural
gas , detected a systematic error of G;2 % in the results of one of the
Member States and thereby put an . end to severe disputes over the -
quantities of gas. exported . Several projects in thi*s field concern the -
different methods of flow determination and while the accuracy of Eurooean
results increases , discrepancies appear with the American specifications
which had been adopted up to now . Many valuable* f luids have to be metered
accurately . For liquid petroleum gas ( LPG),,the programme gave an
opportunity to the Member States to compare their methods of controlling
road-side service stations :    several Member States used the conclusions of
the project to select the most reliable measurement equipment .       _
Among many subjects of dimensional metrology , surface roughness
measurements which are of considerable industrial importance have been
substantially improved . Discrepancies were as high as 60 % , even between
laboratories applying standard methods . Improving the methodology reduced
the scatter to 15 X.
Several projects concerning double glazed windows ( noise attenuation and
heat losses ) were undertaken , because severe disputes over measurement
results were the cause of trade barriers . The first intercomparison
organized on noise .attenuat ion produced results in very good agreement , _
because thedetrails of the measurement conditions had been carefully
prepared . It showed that when adhering to a well defined measurement
procedure , the laboratories can avoid many difficulties . The method
improvements will probably be incorporated into the existing standards .
 ---pagebreak---                                     16
 Measurements of the luminous flux of lamps for domestic or street lighting
were undertaken with the participation of industry , because differences
between laboratories were initially as high as 7 % . These differences
were reduced to 1 % in one single carefully planned intercomparison .
 Thermal conductivity measurements of insulating materials used in building
construction , were also undertaken to solve discrepancies which arose
because the measuring equipment described in the written standards was not
accurate . This problem is now solved and the standard has been improved .
For measurement of thermal conductivity of industrial refractory materials
at high temperature , errors of up to 30 7, are common and make it
impossible to accurately design large industrial furnaces . Work in
progress should be able to reduce such discrepancies to only a few
percent .
The programme has contributed to the acceleration of the development of
the metrology of ultrasonics . The medical applications of ultrasonic
equipment ( e.g. diagnostics in gynaecology ) require very careful control
of the instrument , because overexposure of the patients is dangerous .       Yet
the uncertainty in the  ultrasonic power measurement can reach 30 % . With
the- support of the BCR programme , measurements in the Community have been
considerably improved .  European laboratories are now providing
calibrations for users  throughout the world and -European industry is in a
favourable position to  demonstrate the quality of their equipment .
Chemical Analyses
In the field of chemical analyses , the BCR programme has responded to many
requests related to the most difficult analyses . During the seventies , an
enthusiastic group of university and industry laboratories , achieved
considerable improvements in the determination of traces of oxygen ,
nitrogen and carbon at levels of 1 ppm or below in atvariety of metals . .
Considerable progress has also been made in the Community for the
determination of traces of heavy elements ( lead , cadmium , etc .) in the
environment . The need for improvement was very great . Early
intercomparisons showed differences of a factor of 100 for contents of the
order of 1 part per million ( ppm ). Below 1 ppm differences were even
greater and -around 1 part per billion ( ppb ) results di f f er ing by a factor ,
of 10,000 were observed . As a consequence of the many intercomparisons ,
many experienced laboratories can now agree to within 10-20% on the
results for elemental contents of 1 ppm and less . About thirty reference
materials have been issued in this field .
Particular mention should be made of the reference materials for the
determination of lead and cadmium in blood , which are very important in
the monitoring oi workers exposed to hostile industrial environments .
Considerable effort was devoted to the field of medical analysis .
Successful completion of some projects was delayed by the need to
thoroughly investigate the stability and suitability of the material e.g.
to show that , after reconstitution , lyophilisec! human serum behaves in the
sane way as fresh serum in routine analysis . In addition methods having
the accuracy required for certification were in general not available and
scientific developments were required before the actual certification
could bp achieved .
 ---pagebreak---                                        17
 The BCR cortisol reference material allows resolution of the differences
 of up to 25% that had been observed in the results of the more commonly
 used methods .   The most successful reference materials up to now concern
 the determination of the coagulation time of the blood of persons subject •
 to thrombosis . Most major firms producing diagnostic products or
 instruments for this type of measurement are now using the BCR reference
 materials both in the USA and in Europe . This has led to a very wide
 harmonization , the absence of which some years ago was still a cause of
 death in some cases .
 The programme has produced the basis for considerable improvements in the
 determination of dangerous organic compounds in the environment
 ( pesticides , carcinogenic polyaromatic hydrocarbons , polychlorobiphenyls ,
 dioxins ) .
 Here too differences between laboratories can reach a factor of 100 , if
not more . The first step was to produce for calibration purposes the
compounds of interest in a pure form when they were not commercially
available .    Some fifty reference materials of this type have now been
prepared and are used worldwide , mainly for the analysis of water and
automobile exhaust gases . New and improved methods are being developed in
collaborative projects for the determination of traces of - polychlorinated
biphenyls ( PCBs ), -polycyclicaromatic hydrocarbons ( PAHs ) and pesticides .
Reference materials will be issued within a few -years with certified
amounts of PCB and PAH in various matrices such as fats , oils and other
food products .
BCR reference materials have been used in intercomparison campaigns
organized by official bodies in several Member States e.g. determination ‘
of- PCBs in human blood serum .
In the area of food and agricultural products , severol projects were
conducted in close collaboration with the responsable Commission services
< DG VI ). While results for heavy metals ( e.g. lead and cadmium ) differed
by factors oT ten or more , work_done in the BCR programme succeeded in
reducing these differences to 20% ancJ led to the preparation of three
reference materials . Similar improvements were achieved for these
analysis in cereal products .
Regulations impose severe restrictions on the leve-ls of the dangerous
toxin aflatoxin       which occurs in milk as a result ob fungal activity in
certain animal feed-stuffs . The implementat ion of these regulations- was
initially the cause of many disputes because the results from different –
laboratories could differ by factor as high as one thousand . A BCR
project was therefore established , bringing together about 20 major
laboratories of the Member States . After several intercomparisons , the
difference between the results was reduced to as little as a few per cent
and milk-powder reference materials are now available to any laboratory
wishing to avoid errors .    Work for DG VI on the determination of a related
toxin in animal -feed itself- is now leading to excellent results .
Intercomparisons organized at the request of industry to investigate the
state of the art in the analyses of fruit juices ( according to the
Community Directive 75 / 726/ EEC ) lias been of considerable help in reducing
disputes that had been going on for many years .
 ---pagebreak---                                    18
 Reference Materials
 At the end of most projects concerned with chemical analysis or material
properties , one or several reference materials are issued . Any user of
 such a reference material is then able to compare his own results with the
value certified as being correct . If the difference between his results
and the certified value is too great , he must conclude that his method
needs to be improved . For this purpose he can consult the report which
accompanies the reference material and gives advice on avoidance of
errors . When the user can show that his measurements agree sufficiently
closely with the certified value , he knows that the accuracy of his
results cannot be challanged .
In 1986 , the BCR programme could offer 175 different reference materials
and the number of samples sold amounted to 4,665 . In total more than
13,000 samples were sold during the last four years and several thousand
copies of reports were distributed with them . The details are shown in
the following table :
                  Number of Reference        Number of
                  Materials available      samples sold       Receipts
1983-                     105'                 1,466      -   80,900 ECU
1984                      126                  2,866         124,550 ECU
1985                      144                  3,471         105,300 ECU
1986                      175                  4,665         141,000 ECU
Receipts are returned to the budget of the programme .
At the end of 1986 , 19 additional reference materials became-avai lable .
The total inventory can be classified as follows :
Biomedical                 11
Food                       15
Environment                77
Metals and Ores            41
Coke and Coal               9
Fert i l i zers             6
Physical Properties        17
Miscellaneous              18
Each sample is supplied with a detailed report where the user can find- all
details on the work done and recommendations on how to inake the
measurements .
It is to be noted that the high quality of the BCR reference materials is
acknowledged by the U.S. National Bureau of Standards who are recommending
them to American users .
   Prices are calculated on the basis of the expenditure in the projects
   corresponding to the respective reference materials
 ---pagebreak---                                         19
Utilisation of the budget
The programme 1983-1987 has a budget of 25 million ECU . The sums committed
for each of the first four years were as follows :
    1983       3,500 Mio  ECU
    1984       4,021 Mio  ECU
    1985       4,668 Mio  ECU
    1986       7,224 Mio  ECU
              19,413 Mio  ECU
The balance to be committed in 1987 is 5,6 Mio ECU .
 ---pagebreak---                                    20
                                APPENDIX      4
                                OPINION OF THE CGC
The CGC S&T Standards has examined the proposal entitled " Research and
Development Programme in the Field of Metrology & Chemical Analyses
1988-1992 ".   The CGC has noted the advances made during the present BCR
programme in improving the competence in measurement in many fields throughout
the Community . This has resulted in improved agreements between the services
to customers provided by the metrological services of the Members States .
Reference materials have been produced successfully by collaboration between
laboratories . Sales of some 15,000 samples have been achieved which will lead
to improved chemical analyses by a large number of laboratories in particular
in relation to health and environment .
In considering the management of the programme the CGC concluded that the
means of implementation of individual projects achieved a very effective
optimization and dissemination of benefit to Member States . The CGC is of the
opinion however that to further improve the dissemination of the benefit of
the programme , an increase in publicity will be necessary .
With the acceleration towards completing the internal . market and–the inclusion
of new~Member States the CGC believes that, there is a need for increasing -
activity in these fields :   Increased participation in this new programme will
facilitate the extension of harmonization of measurement throughout the
Community . The new programme contains the elements necessary to improve
agreement in the implementation of directives and to the preparation of the
technical infrastructure needed for the mutual recognition of test results as
well as for the reduction of technical barriers to trade .
The CGC thoroughly discuss_ed and agreed the proposed programme priorities
taking into account detailed technical objectives . * It concluded that these
are consistent with the objectives of the White Paper . Although the programme
is defined in considerable technical detail , the CGC stresses the need to keep
sufficient flexibility to adapt to changing situations and needs . It believes
that the proposed programme is consistent with the need for an expenditure of
about 50 M ECU and that any significant variation would require a revision of
the programme and its staffing . Experience has shown that work on reference
materials, reqdi res a high number of staff assigned to the programme .
The CGC. reviewed the proposed programme in the light of national activities
and the. initiative for a proposed formal collaboration of national measurement
institutions , EUROMET , and concluded that the programme complements them .
The CGC welcomes and encourages the proposal to include participation of EFTA
countries in view of the common problems in harmonization of measurement in
many fields .
In response to the Evaluation Report on the BCR programme the CGC was pleased
to note the increased involvement of other Commission services in the
definition of 8CR activities and -in the use of the results . The CGC is also
pleased to note that the Commission has agreed to provide forward working
plans during the course of the programme to aid monitoring of the programme by
the CGC and to provide the opportunity for incorporation of any necessary
changes .
 ---pagebreak---                             Proposta de
                   REGULAMENTO ( CEE ) DO CONSELHO
    que adopta um programa de investigação e desenvolvimento
         para a Comunidade Económica Europeia no dominio
           da Metrologia Aplicada e da Análise Química
                             ( 1988-1992 )
            ( Serviço Comunitário de Referência - BCR )
0 CONSELHO DAS COMUNIDADES EUROPEIAS,
Tendo em conta o Tratado que institui a Comunidade Económica Europeia e ,
nomeadamente , o n2 2 do seu artigo 1302 Q ,
Tendo em conta a proposta da Comissão , ( 1 )
Em cooperação com o Parlamento Europeu , ( 2 )
Tendo em conta o parecer do Comité Económico e Social , ( 3 )
( 1 ) J0
( 2 ) J0
( 3 ) J0
 ---pagebreak---                                      - 21
Considerando que a Comunidade se fixou como objectivo a realização do mei
cado interno em 1992 para a realização do qual tem a tarefa de eliminar as
barreiras técnicas ao comércio, fundamentalmente por meio da harmonização
de normas e regulamentos técnicos ;
Considerando que o Programa-quadro de Acções Comunitárias no domínio da
Investigação e Desenvolvimento Tecnológico , adoptado pelo Conselho para o
período de 1987-1991 , inclui o apoio à aplicação de normas técnicas ;
Considerando que a eliminação de barreiras técnicas suplementares requer
que os laboratórios dos Estados-membros possuam os meios técnicos necessá¬
rios para assegurar a aplicação uniforme de normas , regulamentos técnicos
e di rectivas ;
Considerando que , para atingir este objectivo , é importante que a Comunida ¬
de dê apoio à actividade de cooperação tendo por finalidade a harmonização
das medições e análises químicas nos Estados-membros de modo a garantir a
concordância dos resultados de ensaios e de controlos ;
Considerando que o trabalho sobre metrologia e análises químicas em desenvol ¬
vimento em alguns paises da AECL pode ser vantajosamente coordenado com o
trabalho comunitário realizado no âmbito do presente programa ;
Considerando que o CREST emitiu o seu parecer ,
ADOPTOU 0 PRESENTE REGULAMENTO :
Artigo 12
1 . Com efeitos a partir de 1 de Janeiro de 1988, é adoptado por um período
    de cinco anos um programa de investigação e desenvolvimento para a Comu¬
    nidade Económica Europeia no domínio da metrologia aplicada e da análise
    química , tal r 0 mo consta do Anexo .
2 . 0 trabalho experimental será executado por contrato .
    Os participantes podem ser organizações industriais , institutos de in¬
    vestigação e universidades estabelecidos na Comunidade .
 ---pagebreak---                                       -  ce -
Artigo 22
0 montante estimado necessário para a execução do programa ( 1988-1992 )
eleva -se a 59.2 milhões de ECUs , incluindo despesas com um efectivo de
32 agentes .
Artigo 32
A Comissão é responsável pela execução do programa e é assistida nas suas
funções de gestão do programa pelo Comité Consultivo de Gestão e Coordenação ( CGC )
( Normas Cientificas e Técnicas ) criado pela Decisão 84 / 338 / EURATOM / CECA / CEE
do Conselho    ( 1 ).
Artigo 42
0 programa será revisto durante o terceiro ano . Os resultados da revisão
serão comunicados ao Conselho e ao Parlamento Europeu . A revisão pode dar
origem à apresentação , por parte da Comissão , de uma proposta de revisão
do programa de acordo com os processos adequados .
Artigo 52
A Comissão fica autorizada a negociar no âmbito da execução do programa acordos
de cooperação com Paises terceiros , nomeadamente com Estados não membros
que tenham concluido com a Comunidade acordos-quadro de cooperação cienti -
f i ca e técni ca .
Artigo 62
0 presente regulamento entra em vigor em 1 de Janeiro de 1988 .
0 presente regulamento é obrigatório em todos os seus elementos e directa -
mente aplicável em todos os Estados-membros .
Feito em Bruxelas , em
                                                       Pelo Conselho
 ( 1 ) JO n2 L 177 de 4.7.1984 , p. 25 .
 ---pagebreak---                                     3
     Progr r;r d :; inv s tigaç~o o de • • envo lvir nnt o no omxnio de. fetro -
            logia Aplic - d   e d . Análises Químicas
                    ( Cervigo Comunit'rio de R-~fcr*nci       - BCR )
0 ob.jccíivo do progr ma. consiste om melhorar e fiabilidade d.' s ne.li -
ses uí micas e das medições fír ic s (n trologia rp li cada ) de nodo r
conseguir-se uma' concordância, de resultados ex todos os Est " d os-membros .
0 projcctos serão ■ scolhidos de entre os 'oníni^s considerados de im¬
portância primordial per       a Comurid' de c. p-rtir do ponto de vir ta eco¬
nómico , mbiental ou de s úde púMica .
AS rre"s prioritárias serão princip : lrsv nte • s seguintes :
- análise dos alimentos e de produtos agrícolas
- análise do meio ambiente
- análise biomédica
- -análise dre metais , incluindo analise da superfície
- medições físicas ( metrologia aplicada )
Âs actividades incluem em especial :
- execuç~o de programas de medição numa base de col:boraç~o ( compara¬
   ções )
- aperfeiçoamento de mítodos de analise e de medição
- aperfeiçoamento de instrumentos necessário *" p rs medições de grande
   precisão
- desenvolvi - ento de rnrm-s de tr ,_ nrf ■' rênci
- prep-Taçro e certificação de materiais de referência
- bolsas, de estudo para. jovens cientistas em dom/ nios abrangidos pelo
   progr ma
- intercambio de cientis.tss -.m dominios r.brr-ngidos p lo programa
 ---pagebreak---                                   FINANCIAL RECORD
   R & D Programme in the field of Applied Metrology and Chemical
   Analyses .
1 . Relevant budget heading
     Chapter 73 - Item 7350 -
2 . Legal basis
EEC Treaty Art . 130 Q §2
Council Regulation of
3 . Description and justification of the programme
     This programme is one of the components of the Framework
     programme for Community Research and Development activities ,
     and is included in it under the heading Technical Standards .
     The objective of the programme is to improve measurements and
     chemical analyses in the following priority areas
     - analysis of food and agriculture products
     - analysis related to environment
     - analysis related to health
     -  analysis of materials
     -  applied metrology
     The programme is addressed to industrial firms , to research
     centres and to universities .
4 . Type of expenditure
     The major part of the expenditure will be committed through
     shared   cost contracts .
     The programme will also require service work under contract in
     particular , for preparation of batches of reference material
     samples , for storage and distribution of samples . It will also
     include contracts for coordination , in particular when one
     laboratory is in charge of providing samples to be studied by
     a group of participants    and to collect and interpret results .
 ---pagebreak---                                                   VII
     5 . Financial implications
          5.1 . Method of calculation
          5.1.1 .    Personnel
          The staff required for the programme is 19 A, 3 B and 10 C.
           For the year 1988, the following tables include only            12 A, 1
          B and 6 C.
          5.1.2 . Administration costs
          Sixty per cent of the administration expenditure are absorbed
          by costs for meetings of participants to projects . These
          meetings are essential for the discussion of results and
          exchange of experience .
           5.1.3 .    Contracts      See §4
           5.2 Multiannual timetable for appropriations
                                APPROPRIATIONS FOR COMMITMENT ( MioECU )
                    T            T'       Ί       7'       7'        7          T-■ TT
                    I    1988    I  1989   I 1990  I  1991  I  1992   I  1993   I 1994   II  TOTAL
                    I            I         I       I        I         I         I        1 1
                    T~           I         I       I        I         I         I        II
Personnel           I    1.846   I  2.100  I 2.700 I 2.900 I 3.000 I            I        1 1 12.546
                    I            I         I       I        I         I         I        II
Admi ni st rat i on |     . 704  I  1.200 I  1.200 I 1.200 I 1.196 I            I        II   5.500
                    I            I         I       I        I         I         I        II
Contracts           I    3.450   I  9.800 I 11.800 I 10.300 I  5.804 I          I        1 1 41.154
                    I            I         I       I        I         I         I        1 1
                    T            I        7       7'       7'        7_ __   –r -      - II
TOTAL               I    6.000   I 13.100 I 15.700 I 14.400 I 10.000 I          I        1 1 59.200
                    I            I         I       I        I         I         I        II
                                                                                                 26
 ---pagebreak---                                                   VIII
                     APPROPRIATIONS FOR PAYMENTS ( MioECU )
                  T            Ί"       'T       T         T        T      T         TT
                   1    1988    I 1989    I 1990  I   1991  I  1992 I 1993  I 1994 + 1 1 TOTAL
                   1            I         I       I         I       I       I        II
                  T             I         i       I         I       I       I        II
Personnel          |   1 . 846  I 2.100   I 2.700 I 2.900 I 3.000 I         I        II   12.546
                   1            I         I       I         I       I       I        II
Admi ni st rat ion |     . 704  I 1.200   I 1.200 I 1.200 I 1.196 I         I        II    5.500
                   1            I         I       I         I       I       I        1 1
Contracts          |     . 650  I 3.200  I  6.100 I 5.900 I 5.804 I 10.000 I 9.500   II  41.154
                   1            I        I        I         I       I       I        II
                  T             I       ‘T       T         'T'      T       I        II
TOTAL              1   3.200    I 6.500 I 10.000 I 10.000 I 10.000 I 10.000 I 9.500  1 1 59.200
                   1            I         I       I         I       I       I        II
                                                                                             5?
 ---pagebreak---                                         IX
                          SHE IMPACT ASSESSMENT STATEMENT
    1 . Reasons for the programme proposed
    Many analyses or tests carried out in many fields of chemical
    analyses or technology provide inadequate results which are
    causes of disagreements between the supplier and its customers
    and more generally of difficulties in trade .
    The objective of the programme is to improve measurements in a
    certain number of priority topics . In particular , those listed
    in the White Paper on the completion of the Internal Market .
2 . Type of industry involved
    The programme does not concern a particular type of business
    but a very large variety of industrial activities . Similarly
     it does not concern specifically large industrial companies or
    small firms , they are all concerned . In summary , what is
     involved is in particular , the quality of the products and the
    pollution that they could be produced .
3 . Conséquences for SMEs
     The programme will produce reports showing how measurement
    problems can be solved accurately and reference materials
     which can be used by any laboratory to verify its performance .
     The advantage for SMEs could be considerable because they will
     receive at very low cost the results and know-how from the
     work of others .
     Those SMEs who will be conscious of the need to maintain high
     quality of their products and for this to have adequate
     measurements will have better competitiveness and better
     security for the employment . The programme will not generate
     jobs directly .
     The proposal will not produce any new requirements of SMEs .
4 . Consultation of social partners
     The Communication will be submitted to the Economic and Social
     Committee for o-rinion . On previous occasions the ESC was very
     favourable to this type of action because of its positive
     effect in eliminating some trade barriers .