The association agreements concluded between Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPC) and the European Union foresee the introduction of a free-trade area in the region. Cooperation between the two parties looks forward to implementing international rules and techniques related to the quality control of industrial products and the upgrading of the quality infrastructures (QI) capabilities and services.

Both firms and researchers in the MPC find quite often difficulties to obtain easy access to suitable tests and metrology services in new fields having growing technical requirements due to insufficient technical capabilities in the laboratories and to the high specialisation of the labs what makes difficult the provision of integrated services. As it is shown by existing experiences, cooperation among the quality systems stakeholders (regulation authorities, Standardization Institutes, Accreditation Councils, Analyses, tests and metrology laboratories, etc.), both at country and international level, can support improvement of QI and their services in the MPC to address the above mentioned challenges.

In the frame of the EMIS initiative, the Euro-Mediterranean Laboratories Network is addressed towards the participation of laboratories of metrology, analysis, essays and calibration. Participation of other stakeholders in the national quality systems (regulation and market surveillance authorities, standards and accreditation organisations or consumer rights organizations) will also be promoted as far as they can contribute to common objectives as it will be also looked for close cooperation with international metrology entities and associations.

The Euro-Mediterranean space addressed by this proposal includes the EU member and associated countries as well as the Mediterranean Partner Countries which are also part of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP).

Due to its open character there are no specific roles fixed a priori for the would-be members of the network and their action scope will depend on their actual will. However the network objectives and activities centre the attention in the MPC QI and laboratories development counting with the close and active cooperation of European Union entities.

The Euro-Mediterranean Laboratories Network promotes:

• Sharing of information about the situation and activities of the network members
• Support the qualification of the laboratories staff as well as the upgrading of the laboratories technical capabilities
• Improvement of the laboratories management systems with adoption of international quality standards
• Support the development of new services to comply with the demand from both internal (Administration, University, etc.) and external customers. 
• Develop testing and conformity evaluation services in order to fulfill legal requirements from national and international authorities.
• Disseminate the scientific and technical potential of the network members
• Contribution to the development of international associations and their initiatives coincident with the previous objectives.
  

The final impact expected from the network is the increase in the capacities of its members to provide services to firms and researchers in the technical areas concerned. The network will also provide access to information related to all the fields of metrology, analysis and tests to would-be customers from other countries; please request access to the EMIS web inside MIRA in case you want to know more about the Mediterranean Laboratories Network and its activities.