Memorandum of UndersTanding
The National Metrology Institutions on behalf of which this Memorandum has been signed, considering:
declare their intention of cooperating in the field of physical quantities measurement standards, legal metrology, calibration and accreditation of measuring laboratories within the framework of COOMET as follows:
Section 1
– Members of COOMETCOOMET is the organization for the Euro-Asian cooperation of National Metrology Institutions (from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and countries nearby) and is open to the National Metrology Institutions of countries of other regions to join it as Associate Members.
Section 2
– Objectives of COOMETThe objectives of COOMET are:
Section 3 – Tasks of COOMET
The tasks of COOMET are to strengthen the links between the National Metrology Institutions interested in solving common problems and to create effective mechanisms in order:
Section 4 – Principal fields of cooperation within COOMET
The principal fields of cooperation within COOMET include:
Section 5 – Structure of COOMET and working procedures
The President, the Vice-Presidents and Chief of the COOMET Secretariat form the Presidential Council, which will develop the policies within the framework of COOMET, cooperation with international and regional metrology organizations, realization of the collaboration between the Committee meetings and preparation of questions for consideration at these meetings.
The scope of their objectives, tasks and working and collaboration procedures is specified in relevant Provisions to be approved by COOMET Committee.
Every structural body is headed by a chairman appointed by COOMET Committee for the period of 4 years with possible prolongation of this period to another one and further transfer of authority to a representative of another member-country.
Section 6 – Languages
Section 7 – Rights
In order to achieve the objectives of COOMET, each Member of the Organization shall have the following rights:
Section 8 – Obligations
In order to achieve the objectives of COOMET, each Member of the Organization shall accept the following obligations:
Section 9 – Cooperation with international organizations
and also with organizations of oter regions.
Section 10 – Validity of Memorandum
Section 11 – Liminations
Done at Warsaw on the 12th of June 1991 in English and Russian,
updated and amended at the 10th COOMET Committee meeting
in Almaty, Kazakhstan on May 25-26, 2000
and
at the 12 COOMET Committee Meeting
in Havana, Cuba, on May 6-7, 2002
RULES OF PROCEDURE
Rules of Procedure presented below have been agreed at the first Meeting of the COOMET Committee held in Warsaw on November 13 and 14, 1991 and updated and amended at the 10th COOMET Committee meeting in Almaty on May 25 and 26, 2000 and at 12 COOMET Committee Meeting in Havana on 6-7 of May 2002.
They amend the description of the COOMET structure and activities which are part of the Memorandum of Understanding and have been adopted in accordance with Article 7 Section 5 of the Memorandum and should promote the effective solving of cooperation problems in the shortest time possible according to established procedures using modern information technologies and communication facilities.
1.1. From each State only one National Metrology Institution on behalf of which the Memorandum of Understanding has been signed, may be a Member of COOMET.
1.2. Each COOMET Member must inform the President of the name and address of its appointed Committee Member.
1.3.The Committee shall elect its President in open voting, by a simple majority of votes.
1.4. A COOMET Member not represented at two consecutive Committee meetings without giving the reasons for his absence shall be considered as having terminated its participation in COOMET.
For each collaborative project a COOMET Project Form must be completed and sent to the Secretariat, which will arrange for its distribution to all Committee Members and to the appropriate head of relevant SC/TC. This will enable all COOMET Members to keep themselves informed of areas of possible cooperation providing them the opportunity to join a cooperation.
Three separate forms are available:
Proposals for COOMET collaboration projects may be presented at any time. The collection of Agreed COOMET Projects will represent the working program of COOMET.
The Committee Members will monitor the COOMET Projects to ensure they are in agreement with COOMET‘s aims and tasks and are conducted in accordance with the adopted procedures. The COOMET cooperation can be extended to involve institutions from non-Member countries in the projects provided the participants of the cooperation agree.
The Project should belong to one of the following subject fields:
Acoustics,
ultrasound, vibration;Electricity
and magnetism;Flow measurement;
Ionizing radiation and radioactivity;
Length and angle;
Mass
and related quantities;Photometry and radiometry;
Physical chemistry;
Thermometry and thermal physics;
Time and frequency;
Reference materials;
General questions concerning measurements
(General metrology);Legal metrology;
Accreditation and quality systems
;Information and Information technologies
;Training and rising proficiency level of experts
;Improvement of COOMET activities
.
The Proposer of a project shall fill in a form (Annex 1), and via the COOMET Committee member of his country he shall send it to the COOMET Secretariat. The COOMET Secretariat shall register the project and distribute the form to the
head of relevant SC/TC as well as to all COOMET Committee members who will inform the Proposer and the COOMET Secretariat of their interest within a period of three months.In case thet no further COOMET Member is interested in the fulfilment of the proposed theme, it can remain on the list of proposed projects for up to one year.
Agreed COOMET Project Forms, Annex 2, must be used when agreement has already bean reached between a number of partners to undertake a specific collaborative project. It is only through the completion of this Form that COOMET Members will be advised of the agreement in question.
The Working Group set up for accomplishing the project shall be composed of the persons stated in the Form. The Coordinator of the Working Group shall be responsible for keeping the
relevant SC/TC informed of the progress of the project.Once completed the Agreed COOMET Project Form should be sent by the Coordinator to the
head of relevant SC/TC and to the COOMET Secretariat for distribution to the Committee Members and also for inclusion of the project in the COOMET Working Program and in the data base.Should a modification e.g. of the composition of the Working Group or of the scope of the project be decided later, a revised Agreed Project Form shall be circulated.
This Form, Annex 3, should be used by Coordinators for reporting the progress on Agreed COOMET Projects, once a year.
A Final Report must be prepared when a Project is completed.
In this Report the results obtained should be presented and possible applications stated. Comments on the advantages of undertaking the work collaboratively through COOMET would be useful.
The Final Report is not deemed as a publication of the work.
Collaborators are encouraged to publish their work through usual channels, mentioning it was undertaken as a COOMET cooperation.
The Coordinator should send completed Final Report Form to the
head of relevant SC/TC and to the COOMET Secretariat.
According to suggestions of heads of
SC/TC the COOMET Secretariat excludes projects from Working Programme, which are found to be unpromising and obsolete, however, retaining the information of such projects.
3. Annual reports on the COOMET bodies ACTIVITIES
3.1 A coordinator of WG dealing with the agreed COOMET projects sends annually the intermediate progress report on the project to the head of relevant SC/TC
till 31 of January.The head of SC/TC can address coordinator of WG with a request to submit information on the progress with a certain project in a month time before the meeting of SC/TC.
3.2 The head of
SC/TC prepares Annual progress report of SC/TC and forwards it to the Chairman of relevant COOMET Structural Body (SBC) till the end of February.3.3 Based on the reports of SC/TC the Chairmans of COOMET Structural Bodies prepare reports on the activities of their COOMET bodies and forward them to COOMET Secretariat and represent them
at the COOMET Committee meeting.3.4 Annual reports of the
Chairmans of COOMET Structural Bodies established to fulfil specific tasks in the framework of COOMET, should have the following Sections:The total volume of the report should not exceed three to five pages.
3.5 COOMET Secretariat prepares Annual report on COOMET activities based on the reports, which are submitted by Structural bodies
, and distributes it to the Committee Members before the Committee Meeting.
4. COMMITTEE MEETINGS / Convocation and procedure
4.1. The President will decide on the place and date of the Meeting, taking into consideration the proposals formulated by Committee Members during their last Meeting.
4.2. The President shall notify about the Meeting at least ten weeks in advance and also send the preliminary draft agenda with the request to inform the President within three weeks‘ time of their amendments and more precise definitions.
4.3. Delegates will be sent a draft agenda at least four weeks in advance of the Meeting.
4.4. The agenda shall be decided by the Committee at the beginning of the Meeting.
4.5. A quorum will be constituted by more than half the Committee Members.
4.6. The Committee will attempt to reach conclusions by consensus whenever possible. If a compromise cannot be reached, the different points of view shall be recorded in the minutes.
4.7. A draft report of the Committee Meeting shall be circulated by the Secretariat to all Committee Members within
3 month of the Meeting. In order to speed up the realization of the resolutions adopted at the Committee meeting, it is recommended to the COOMET Secretariat to prepare and distribute to the Committee Members the list of drafts of such resolutions at the end of the Meeting. Approval of the Minutes of relevant Committee meeting is effected through e-mail correspondence during 1 month after they were received from the COOMET Secretariat.4.8. Between the Meetings the Committee can rise discussions on any questions by correspondence involving all Committee Members and also solve problems of cooperation at the Presidential Council, the meetings of which are convened by the President as required, but not less than once a year between the COOMET Committee Meetings.
4.9. Similar rules may be followed by
all structural and working bodies of COOMET.
5. AMENDMENT OF RULES OF PROCEDURE
These Rules of Procedure can be amended only by a majority of at least half the Committee Members.