INTRODUCTION
 
“Merhba”

“Welcome” to the Maltese Islands, situated in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea, about 100 km from Sicily and 300 km from North Africa. A tiny group of islands steeped in the history of Mediterranean and European civilization dating back to thousands of years. Notwithstanding continuous influences by foreign civilizations, the Maltese (population about 400,000) have retained their distinctive traditions and culture including their unique language. 

Eurachem-Malta and the Malta Standards Authority are pleased to invite your participation at the Eurachem Workshop which will be held in conjunction with the Eurachem General Assembly 2005.

The workshop

The legal requirements for accreditation of laboratories to ensure the reliability of measurements results are in place in most Mediterranean countries (89/397/EEC and 93/99/EEC). Laboratory accreditation of specific analytical tests and reports on certain commercial commodities, such as food and pharmaceutical products is now well established. Codex Alimentarius and Codex standards (including quality assurance), currently play a prominent role in world trade. The Communication issued on 16 September 2000 by the EC entitled “Reinvigorating the South-South Barcelona Process”, proposed a number of actions to stimulate the process of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. Some of these actions include the measures needed to stimulate trade between the EU and the Mediterranean countries in view of the free trade area by the year 2010. 

The Euromed Working Group on Standards, Technical Regulations and Conformity Assessment Procedures meeting (EC Doc. N011/2004), identified the food and textile industry as priority sectors where approximations of existing systems and national legislations should ally to the Palermo Action Plan. The Mediterranean Trade Ministerial Conference held in July 2004 in Istanbul reiterated the conclusions of the Working Group and the commitment to liberalisation towards the 2010 Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area. Trade among the Euro-Mediterranean partners is worth over € 100 billion each year.
Accreditation for tests on environmental samples is gaining in importance since huge fundings are conferred from governments to rectify pollution problems, reduce pollutants, recycle environmental wastes and improve the general state of the environment. Without proficient laboratories using standard methodologies, laboratory results may thwart efforts and squander funds. 

The supporting infrastructure is sometimes lacking at national level: the basic understanding and training in the metrological (e.g. traceability and uncertainty of measurements) and procedural issues at stake are often overlooked. This slows down the implementation of accreditation. On the other hand, some trading associations and parastatal institutions that utilise the services of laboratories, expect such laboratories to possess an internationally approved accreditation or certification. This requirement stems from the current international trend for export documents to include laboratory reports issued by accredited laboratories. It is a fact that end-users of laboratory services often lack the basic knowledge of what laboratory accreditation means beyond the framed certificate!

ISO 17025 is the guideline to be adopted by testing, measurement and analytical laboratories servicing the food, agriculture, pharmaceutical and environmental laboratories. The laboratory tests on commodities related to these areas of business often require detailed reports that are part of the commercial documentation. 
 


OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP

The objectives of the Workshop are to:

  • highlight the adoption of internationally recognised quality assurance procedures for calibration and testing analytical laboratories,
  • underpin the claims by laboratories for the reliability of measurements, the harmonisation of operations and the proficiency of their activities,
  • eliminate possible trade barriers due to the mistrust of laboratory results of quality and safety in traded food and pharmaceutical products, as well as general analytical laboratory services,
  • highlight the awareness for reliable analytical results, and the proficient function of  laboratories, notably in the food, environmental, pharmaceutical and allied sectors, 
  • assist laboratories seeking accreditation, to implement forthwith the quality assurance principles required in the relevant guides,
  • accelerate Mediterranean-global competitive situation of economies dependent on laboratory measurements, through the adoption of harmonised quality assurance systems by analytical laboratories.

    •  
ORIENTED TOWARDS ANALYTICAL LABORATORIES.

The Workshop shall emphasise on Metrology and Trade within the Mediterranean region. However it may be relevant to other regions of the world since the Workshop shall strive to: 

  • Make available some basic directives and legislations incumbent in European and Mediterranean countries that are relevant to the operations of laboratories,
  • Promote quality assurance infrastructures between national standard bodies and professional organisations at regional level,
  • Network and enhance collaboration, exchange of ideas for a common regional policy on training and information,
  • Harmonise the best practices in areas of accreditation through links with the European Commission, the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, Eurachem, Euromet, Eurolab, and EA (the European co-operation for Accreditation).

PRELIMINARY PROGRAMME
 

  1. The importance of Chemical Metrology 
  2. Validation of Measurement Procedures
  3. Traceability of Measurement Results
  4. Uncertainty of Measurement Results
  5. Applied Statistics
  6. Use and adequacy of Reference Materials
  7. Inter-Laboratory Comparisons
  8. Laboratory accreditation or Certification
  9. Cost analysis of laboratory accreditation
  10. Chemical metrology in Mediterranean Trade 
  11. Trade barriers: fact and fiction
  12. Certificate of Analysis: Legal validity of laboratory certificate of analysis
  13. Accreditation and the small and medium sized laboratory: a success story.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Participants who would benefit from the Workshop include: 

  • the various laboratory user communities in the Mediterranean and elsewhere,
  • laboratory managers and personnel 
  • educators in colleges, Universities and institutions of higher learning, 
  • ‘end-users’ of the data produced by laboratories; such as ministries, public authorities, regulatory bodies, chambers of commerce etc.

INVITED SPEAKERS

Dr Robert Kaarls, CCQM. 
Dr Ilya Kuselman, INPL, CITAC Vice Chairman.
Dr Piotr Robouch, IRMM.

Dr Enrico Cappellani, CEFIT srl, Italy.
Dr Steve Ellison, Laboratory of the Government Chemist, United Kingdom.
Dr George Peplow, University of Malta.
Dr Kyriacos Tsimillis, Cyprus Accreditation Body, Cyprus.
Mr Alex Williams, Eurachem, United Kingdom.
 

WORKSHOP VENUE:

The Preluna Hotel and Towers, 
Sliema, Malta.
www.preluna-hotel.com
HOW TO GET THERE: By taxi: about 15 minutes drive, costs about Lm10.

VISA  REQUIREMENTS

Malta is an EU member state and the standard EU visa requirements prevail. You may contact us for any additional information.


ORGANISING COMMITTEE: 

Workshop Co-ordinator and Chairman: Dr George Peplow

Members: 
           Dr Joseph N Grima, University of Malta, 
           Mr Joseph Bartolo, Malta Standards Authority, 
           Mr Anton Pizzuto, Cleaner Technology Centre. 

The Eurachem Secretariat.
 


FURTHER INFORMATION:

Workshop website:

http://www.msa.org.mt/eurachem/workshop.html


Websites about Malta: 

Visiting Malta:     www.visitmalta.com   -  www.maltavista.com

Events:     www.maltafestivals.com

Official information:  www.doi.gov.mt

Malta Airport:   www.maltairport.com

REGISTRATION

Please download the registration form (.doc), fill in and send to Dr. George Peplow by:

  • E-mail (peplowg@maltanet.net)
  • Fax (Fax. no.: +356 2131 8658), or 
  • Mail (Dr. George Peplow, Department of Chemistry, University of Malta, Msida MSD 06, Malta)