MEMORANDUM

Third Meeting of the COOMET Presidential Council

23 October 2001 Moscow

According to a decision of the 2nd meeting of the COOMET Presidential Council (28 – 29 March 2001, Kiev) the 3d meeting of the COOMET Presidential Council was held 23 September 2001.

The members of the Council are:

N. Zhagora

/ COOMET President (Belarus)
V. Belotserkovsky

H.-D. Velfe

G. Sidorenko / COOMET Vice-President (Russia)
COOMET Vice-President (Germany)
COOMET Vice-President (Ukraine)
L. Astafijeva
/ Head of the COOMET Secretariat (Belarus)
B. Gorshkov / Head of COOMET Secretariat of Russia
J. Orlowsky
/ Representative of Slovak COOMET Committee member
B. Markov / Kharkov State Scientific Research Metrology Institute
(Ukraine)

The following Agenda was approved:

1. Reallocation of responsibilities and subject areas between COOMET Vice-Presidents.

Consideration of suggestions regarding further development in the subject areas headed by COOMET Vice-Presidents.

Reporters: COOMET President, COOMET Presidential Council members

2. Consideration of suggestions on COOMET reorganization with the aim to meet the increasing number of metrological organizations, which are willing to take advantage of COOMET membership, and to facilitate the activity in the main areas of cooperation stipulated in the Memorandum.

Reporters: COOMET President, COOMET Presidential Council members

3. Consideration of necessary steps for promoting COOMET collaboration in the area of accreditation and establishing an international partnership in this area.

Reporter: Representative of Slovak COOMET Committee member

4. СOOMET collaboration with international and regional organizations.

Reporters: COOMET Secretariat, COOMET Presidential Council members

5. Participation of COOMET representatives at the Meeting of regional metrological organizations in Moscow

Reporters: COOMET President,

COOMET Vice-President (V. Belotserkovsky)

6. Consideration of necessary steps for promoting COOMET collaboration in the area of legal metrology.

Reporter: COOMET Presidential Council member

responsible for legal metrology matters

7. Progress with implementation of MRA (Mutual recognition arrangement)

Reporter: COOMET Vice-President responsible for MRA matters

8. Miscellaneous

9. Place and date of the next meeting of COOMET President Council

MEETING'S RESULTS

  1. ReALLOCATION of responsibilities and subject areas between COOMET viCe-presidents. Consideration of suggestions regarding further development
    in the subject areas headed by COOMET viCe-presidents

Within the frame of this point proposals were reported by Mr. N. Zhagora (President), Mr. V. Belotserkovsky (Vice-President), Mr. H.-D. Velfe (Vice-President), Mr. G. Sidorenko (Vice-President), Mr. J. Orlowsky (Representative of Slovak COOMET Committee member).

There were specified and defined more precisely responsibilities and directions of activities of President and Vice-Presidents. The allocation of the responsibilities is given in Annex 1.

2. Consideration of suggestions on COOMET reorganization with the aim to meet the increasing number of metrological organizations, which are willing to take advantage of COOMET membership, and to facilitate
the activity in the main areas of cooperation stipulated
in the Memorandum

The proposals of Russia and Ukraine to perfect the COOMET organizing structure were considered.

The discussion, in which Mr. N. Zhagora, Mr. V. Belotserkovsky, Mr. H.-D. Velfe, Mr. G. Sidorenko and Mr. J. Orlowsky took part, resulted in a proposal of the draft of the Structure of COOMET Administering and Working Bodies(Annex 2).

There was made a decision to entrust the COOMET Secretariat to forward the elaborated draft Structure to COOMET members for it to be discussed at the next COOMET Committee meeting.

3. Consideration of necessary steps for promoting COOMET collaboration in the area of accreditation and establishing an international partnership in this area

Based on the information received from Mr. J. Orlowsky it was agreed the following as a result of the discussion:

To request the Slovak Metrology Institute (SMU), using experience EUROMET and SMU, to develop the Accreditation Work Programme including:

  • establishing cooperation on information exchange with international and regional metrology organizations;
  • arrangement of holding the COOMET Quality Forum.

4. СOOMET collaboration with international and regional organizations

The Council took note of the information by the COOMET Secretariat concerning participation COOMET representatives in meetings of international and regional metrology organizations (Annex 3) and considered matters as to maintaining contacts with the international and regional metrology organizations COOMET has already been cooperating with (EUROMET, OIML, WELMEC, APMP, EASC) and determined the new organizations such contacts are to be established (ILAC, APLAC et al.).

The following decision was made:

To request COOMET Presidential Council members – responsible for developing cooperation in the area of legal metrology; for cooperation of CIS countries within STC Metre, COOMET and other RMOs; in the area of accreditation; in studying and using international experience; for cooperation with BIPM and other RMOs – to prepare by the end of 2001 proposals concerning participation COOMET representatives in meetings of organs of relevant international and regional metrology organizations according the schedules of meetings of these organizations for 2002.

5. Participation of COOMET representatives at the Meeting of regional metrological organizations in Moscow

The meeting approved the theses of the COOMET President’s speech at the meeting of representatives of regional legal metrology organizations (Annex 4).

6. Consideration of necessary steps for promoting COOMET collaboration in the area of legal metrology

The Council took note of the information by Mr. N. Zhagora, COOMET President, concerning works being performed in the area of legal metrology.

The meeting made the decision as follows:

  • To develop a summary Programme of events occurring in COOMET member countries in the area of legal metrology (as a separate document) and submit it to COOMET Committee’s approval at its next meeting.

7. Progress with IMPLEMENTATION of MRA (Mutual recognition arrangement)

The participants of the meeting listened to the information by Mr. V. Belotserkovsky, COOMET Vice-President, concerning the progress of works on implementation of the Arrangement and agreed:

  • To take note of the information by Mr. V. Belotserkovsky as to works on implementation of the Mutual Recognition Arrangement on National Measurement Standard within COOMET were made more active in 2001.
  • To note active participation of the PTB and SMU submitting data on their calibration and measurement capabilities (СМС) through EUROMET as well as Russian institutes in internal review of CMCs being carried out within COOMET.
  • To recommend the COOMET Committee members from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kirgyzia, Moldova and Ukraine to inform COOMET Secretariat by the end of the current year on scheduled dates of signing the Arrangement by their parties and provide preparation of the CMC data of their national metrology institutes for internal review within COOMET.
  • To request Mr. V. Belotserkovsky, COOMET Vice-President, to inform COOMET Committee members by 1 November of this year on the results of the 7th meeting of the Joint Committee of Regional Metrology Organizations and BIPM scheduled on 8 and 9 October of this year.

8. Miscellaneous

8.1. Situation of the appointment of COOMET Rapporteur in the subject area «Flow Measurement»

The following decision was made:

  • To entrust the functions of the Coordinator of works in the area of Flow Measurement to Mr. B. Beliaev (VNIIMS, Russia) temporarily, till the end of the year.
  • Request Russia in conjunction with Slovakia, Germany and Ukraine to prepare proposals on a candidature for the Rapporteur.

8.2. Holding the 12th COOMET Committee Meeting

The following decision was made:

  • To take note of information received from Cuba in regard to holding the 12th COOMET Committee Meeting.
  • To propose COOMET members to attend the International Symposium «Metrology 2002».
  • To entrust Secretariat to prepare a request to the National Bureau of Standards of Cuba concerning the Symposium’s subjects and forward information to be received to COOMET Committee members.
  • To entrust Secretariat to forward a request to COOMET Committee members concerning the possibility to render assistance in providing the interpretation into Russian at the COOMET Committee Meeting.

8.3. Training and further training of specialists in the area of metrology

The following decision was made:

  • On behalf of the Presidential Council to propose all the COOMET Committee members to forward data on staff training to Mr. H.-D. Velfe, Vice-President, and to the COOMET Secretariat.

8.4. ISO General Assembly

The following decision was made:

  • To take note of information reported by Mr. N. Zhagora, COOMET President, on the participation in the ISO General Assembly and the matters that had been discussed during the event.

9. Place and date of the next meeting of
COOMET President Council

According to Mr. H.-D. Velfe’s proposal the meeting made a decision to hold the Fourth meeting of the COOMET Presidential Council at PTB, Braunschweig, Germany in late March  early April 2002.

L. Astafijeva,

Head of the COOMET Secretariat

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Annex 1

Allocation of the responsibilities between COOMET Vice-Presidents

Direction of activities / Responsibilities / Vice-President
Legal metrology /
  • analysis of the activities of relevant international and regional organizations (OIML, WELMEC, ATFM, etc.);
  • cooperation with international and regional organizations;
development of the legal metrology works within COOMET. / N. Zhagora
(President)
Cooperation of the CIS countries with Scientific-Technical Commission on metrology (STC Metre), COOMET and other RMOs /
  • analysis of the organizations’ activities;
  • working out proposals on cooperation and recommendations on cooperation priorities;
  • representation in EASC;
  • preparing information of EASC activities in the area of metrology for COOMET members.
/ G. Sidorenko
Cooperation in the area of accreditation /
  • analysis of the activities of relevant international and regional organizations in this area;
  • cooperation with EA, SADCA, APLAC, etc;
  • development of accreditation works within COOMET;
  • development of works related to quality systems of metrology organizations.
/ M. Bily
(needed approval by COOMET Committee)
Studying and using international experience of cooperation in metrology /
  • analysing and using (for the purposes of COOMET) international experience of cooperation in metrology at the regional level;
  • problems of training and perfection of specialists in the area of metrology;
  • problems of information and promotion of implementing new information technologies.
/ H.-D. Velfe
Cooperation with BIPM and other RMOs /
  • coorddination of works on implementing MRA (Mutual recognition of national measurement standards and of calibration and measurement certificates issued by national metrology institutes);
  • representation in the Join Committee of RMOs and BIPM (JCRB).
/ V. Belotserkovsky

Annex 2

Structure of COOMET Administering and Working Bodies

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Annex 3

COOMET representatives participation in national and international
events on metrology

The representatives of COOMET took part in the proceedings of activity:

In the year 2000:

5-th meetings of Joint Committee of Regional Metrological organizations and BIPM (October 11-13 2000, Paris) The participants from COOMET: V. Belotserkovsky, P. Kneppo, A. Pokhodun;

the meetings of the representatives of regional organizations on a legal metrology and OIML (October 14 2000, London) The participants from COOMET: N. Zhagora;

16 General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Metrology Programme (November 6-11 2000, Thailand). The participants from COOMET: H.-D. Velfe, A. Astashenkov;

the meetings of the rappoteurs of regional metrological organizations in the area "Electricity and magnetism" (September 15 2000, Paris) The participants from COOMET: D. Vasiliev, Y. Semenov;

the meetings of the rappoteurs of regional metrological organizations in the area "Ionizing radiations and radioactivity" (September 18 2000, Paris) -The participants from COOMET: Y. Bregadze, S. Korostin.

In the year 2001:

6-th meetings of Joint Committee of Regional Metrological organizations and BIPM (March 8 2001, Gatesburg, USA) The participants from COOMET: L. Isaev, P. Kneppo, A. Pokhodun;

13-th meeting of STC Metre (April, 9-11, Bishkek, Kirgyzia).

It is planned to participate in

7 meeting of the Joint Committee of RMOs and BIPM (8-9 October 2001, Paris)
COOMET intended participants: V. Belotserkovsky, L. Isaev, A. Astashenkov, A. Pokhodun, D. Vasiliev, M. Bily.

Annex 4

Theses of COOMET President’s speech at the meeting of representatives of

regional legal metrology organizations

COOMET suggestions concerning the agenda of the Meeting

  1. We have to admit that in the development of OIML Recommendations and Documents actively participate only several countries. In order to attract more participants OIML should to get RLMO to take part in this work. To achieve this RLMO should be:

engaged in working up programs (schedules) of OIML documents development,

kept informed of the development process by supplying draft editions for carrying out expertise and making remarks,

RLMOs have to inform BIML about all regional documents under development, which by the decision of the Bureau can be used as a basis for working out international documents.

  1. If we address the role of different RLMO in the implementation of OIML Recommendations it becomes obvious that their contributions differ. One thing is, for example, WELMEC whose members constitute strong economic union, and the other thing is CООМЕТ. However, each RLMO should monitor the process of OIML documents dissemination in the allied member-countries and accordingly inform OIML as well as facilitate their implementation at the extent of available resources.
  1. The above remarks regarding OIML Recommendations and Documents are equally attributed to the Arrangements and Agreements not only in the sense of their implementation but development. It is worth to remark that implementing documents of a higher standing leads, as a rule, to considerable economic profits. As an example we have an "Agreement between CIS countries on mutual recognition of test results of measuring instruments" which was prepared on the basis of OIML documents. Following the procedure of mutual recognition of test and verification/calibration results one can considerably rise commodity turnover and substantially reduce expenses by avoiding duplicate testing and verification in the importing countries.

Finally, when preparing OIML Agreements COOMET emphasize the necessity of taking into consideration the requirements of newly developed documents of other international organizations e.g. ISO 17025 and as the most important – Arrangement for Mutual Recognition of measuring standards … (MRA). It takes as a matter of fact that test and verification and calibration results are not accepted if a laboratory uses measuring standards which are proved not traceable to measuring standards of higher level and recognized under MRA (i.e. to measuring standards indicated in the JCRB database / BIPM WEB-site).

4. The effectiveness of OIML Development Council efforts can be well retained in close cooperation with RLMO naturally having better knowledge of the needs of their member-countries whose state metrology services require support from OIML. Regarding this fact and assuming certain support and guidance from the Development Council, COOMET is willing to start up a project addressing the above mentioned problem.

COOMET proposals

We think that first of all we should consider the possibility of creating a coordinating body, for instance, Joint Committee of Regional Legal Metrology Organizations (JCRLMB) which will be headed by BIML representative.

If RLMO representatives at the meeting in Moscow will adopt a positive decision then members of JCRLMB (e.g. one representative from BIML and one from each RLMO) and its main objectives could be discussed. They may be as follows:

-encouraging participation in the international cooperation projects and assisting the non-member countries or associate members of OIML;

-facilitating development (revision) and dissemination of OIML documents and recommendations;

-harmonization of international, regional and national documents in the area of legal metrology;

-influencing tendency of legal metrology development;

-working out programs (schedules) of international and regional collaboration.

BIML in cooperation with RLMO will be proposed to prepare terms of reference and statute for the JCRLMB and approve it at the next meeting.

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