Introduction

COOMET is a regional organisation originally establishing cooperation of national metrology institutions of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. It was founded in June, 1991 and renamed as Euro-Asian Cooperation of National Metrological Institutions in May, 2000. COOMET is officially recognized as a regional metrology organization (RMO) and a regional legal metrology organization (RLMO). COOMET is open for any metrology institutions from other regions to join as associate members.
Currently the members of COOMET are metrology institutions from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, China (Associate Member), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Associate Member), Bulgaria, Georgia, Germany (Associate Member), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Cuba (Associate Member), Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Turkey (Associate Member), Uzbekistan and Ukraine.
Vision of COOMET
Efficient, representative, competent regional metrology organization, regognized by the international community.
Mission of COOMET
Raising the level of metrology development, support and expansion of an integrated measurement infrastructure for countries in the Euro-Asian region and other interested countries that makes it possible for every national metrological institute to promote innovation, competitiveness, trade, consumer safety, sustainability and ensuring international recognition.
The objectives of COOMET are as follows:
  • to contribute to effectively solving the issues of ensuring the uniformity of measurements, to raising the level of metrology development of the countries in the Euro-Asian region and other stakeholders, to supporting and expanding an integrated measurement infrastructure for the countries in the Euro-Asian region and other interested countries that makes it possible for every National Metrology Institute to promote innovation, competitiveness, trade, consumer safety, sustainability and ensuring of international recognition;
  • to function as a forum for cooperation in the field of scientific and legal metrology.
The basic activity of COOMET is cooperation in the following fields: measurement standards of physical quantities, legal metrology, quality management systems, information and training and joint innovative research.
COOMET countries cooperate in the following subject fields:
  • General questions concerning measurements (general metrology);
  • Acoustics, ultrasound, vibration;
  • Electricity and magnetism;
  • Flow measurement;
  • Length and angle;
  • Mass and related quantities;
  • Photometry and radiometry;
  • Physical chemistry;
  • Ionising radiation and radioactivity;
  • Thermometry and thermal physics;
  • Time and frequency;
  • Reference materials;
  • Legal metrology;
  • Quality management systems;
  • Information and information technology;
  • Training and raising proficiency level of experts;
  • Joint innovative in metrology.
In its activities COOMET is guided by the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and Rules of Procedure in any of its activities.
The supreme body of COOMET is the COOMET Committee consisting of Heads of national metrology institutions from COOMET Member Countries, or their representatives. The Committee organises and promotes cooperation. The Committee meets at least once a year.
The COOMET President is elected by the Committee from among its Members for a three year period with an option of one more term of office. The President provides the COOMET Secretariat by using resources of his/her own institution.
The President proposes candidates of COOMET Vice-Presidents from among the Members of the Committee for further approval by the Committee. The President, Vice-Presidents and Head of the COOMET Secretariat constitute the COOMET President�s Council, which decides upon the COOMET policy, interacts with international and regional metrology organisations, coordinates cooperation in the period between the Committee meetings and distinguishes problems to be discussed at these meetings.
Organisation of work in the basic fields and directions of cooperation is the major task of the Structural Bodies of COOMET (the Joint Committee, Technical Committees, and Quality Forum).
COOMET Presidential Council can initiate establishment of Task Groups (TG) within COOMET and determine their lifespans (membership of TGs is formed under COOMET projects).
The Committee Members appoint their representatives to the Structural Bodies of COOMET (Technical Committees, Quality Forum), which become official Structural Bodies members. Those official Structural Bodies members propose a candidate for the position of the Chairperson of a Structural Body for its further approval by the COOMET Committee.
The Structural Bodies can establish Subcommittees (SCs) for working on routine tasks of cooperation and Working Groups (WGs) within corresponding SCs/TCs for carrying out specific work on COOMET projects.
The official languages for the COOMET meetings and documents are Russian and English.
COOMET has no financial assets of its own.
By its scope of cooperation COOMET belongs to organisations of a multi-purpose type.
The activities of COOMET are carried out with the Strategy for 2020-2025. Strategic tasks:
  • A. Facilitation of international recognition of national measurement standards.
  • B. Facilitation of recognition of QMS of NMIs/DIs of COOMET member countries.
  • C. Support of COOMET member countries in gaining the status of membership in the Metre Convention.
  • D. Facilitation of international practice in legal metrology.
  • E. Facilitation of advanced training and knowledge transfer in COOMET member countries.
  • F. Organization of innovative scientific research in the field of metrology.
  • G. COOMET internal development and external representation.
The implementation of these tasks is carried out by COOMET Development Programmes for a period of three years approved by the COOMET Committee.
An important prerequisite of COOMET effectiveness is the collaboration in all fields of activities. Jointly realised projects are the core elements of the COOMET Working Programme.
Nowadays the main attention is paid to the cooperation in the field of measurement standards, in particular to the implementation of the Mutual Recognition of National Measurement Standards and of Calibration and Measurement Certificates Issued by National Metrology Institutes (CIPM MRA). Therefore, the majority of the COOMET projects are dedicated to the preparation of information on calibration and measurement capabilities (CMC), participation in key comparisons of national measurement standards organised by CIPM and organisation of regional comparisons of measurement standards, as well as creation and implementation of Quality Management Systems of the National Metrology Institutes and Designated Institutes of COOMET Member Countries.
The subjects of cooperation of COOMET Member Countries in the field of legal metrology encompass a broad range of questions including exchange of information on international requirements and best practices in the field of legal metrology, translation into Russian of documents on metrology of international metrology organizations and provision of guidance on the application of the requirements of international organizations' publications regarding measuring instruments and methods for their testing, as well as other objects of legal metrology at the national level.
COOMET activities in the field of information support and training are also substantially related to the implementation of the CIPM MRA (e.g. in developing software for the CMC database and comparisons of measurement standards of the NMIs and Designated Institutes of COOMET Member Countries). It is also aimed at the exchange of training programmes for experts in the area of metrology, development of exchange programmes for experts in COOMET countries, determination of criteria for assessing scientific papers of young metrologists, etc. An important activity is holding (once every two years) of the competition "The Best Young Metrologist of COOMET".
A new field of COOMET activities is to provide support to COOMET countries with emerging metrology systems (CEEMS) in accordance with their needs (in terms of organization of comparisons, calibrations, trainings, etc.)
COOMET is a member of the Joint Committee of the Regional Metrology Organisations and the BIPM (JCRB), and keeps close relations with OIML according to the Agreement with the International Bureau of Legal Metrology (BIML) signed in 1993.
COOMET cooperates with the following Regional Metrology Organizations:
  • European Association of National Metrology Institutes (EURAMET),
  • Asia-Pacific Metrology Programme (APMP),
  • Intra-African Metrology System (AFRIMETS),
  • Inter-American Metrology System (SIM),
  • GULF Association for Metrology (GULFMET).
Based on mutual interests, COOMET also cooperates with metrology organisations such as:
  • European Cooperation in Legal Metrology (WELMEC),
  • Asia-Pacific Legal Metrology Forum (APLMF),
  • Euro Asian Council for Standardization, Metrology and Certification (EASC),
  • National Conference of Standards Laboratories International (NCSLI),
  • Interational Measurement Confederation (IMEKO).
COOMET is a joint forum of metrologists of Euro-Asian region, effectively working regional metrology organisation which successfully fulfils its tasks according to approved long term programmes. Cooperation within COOMET and its outcomes allow its member countries to succeed in meeting metrological challenges, faced by a national economy in the globalized market, which is necessary to facilitate and accelerate the international exchange of goods and services.