Laboratory Staff of Laboratory Centre of the National Environmental Monitoring
Department in Baku, Azerbaijan
World Laboratory Day celebrates the place where great inventions emerge, which help to make the world better. In terms of the European Water Initiative Plus (EUWI+), better equipped and newly renovated water laboratories contribute to usher in a new era for water resources management in the EU’s eastern neighbours. In the past five years eight laboratories have been renovated or refurbished and supplied with new equipment to improve water quality monitoring in the Eastern Partnership countries for better quality of water in the long term and available for all.
Laboratory equipment for the Environmental Monitoring and Information
Centre in Yerevan, Armenia ©Environment Agency Austria
In addition, around 400 new analytical instruments and accessories have been acquired under EUWI+ for fieldwork and water analysis in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Belarus and Ukraine. In 70 sessions, local experts received training in chemical and biological analysis, laboratory accreditation and quality management of surface and groundwater as well as coastal waters.
Gas chromatographer provided to Moldova in the frame of the EUWI+ project
©National Environmental Laboratory of the Republic of Moldova
EUWI+ values the engaged participation of all trainees and the financial commitment of governments for the renovation works and for the increased work and operational costs of modern laboratories.
Laboratory Accreditation: towards the golden standard in analytical quality
The demand for quality and safety of goods and services is growing in global economy. Accreditation offers a harmonized, transparent and sustainable approach to provide confidence for government bodies, regulators and the public in the technical competence and impartiality of accredited bodies.
Monitoring and appropriate laboratory capacities play a key role in the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). It requires quality assurance, comparability and reliability of analytical results, as duly addressed by the WFD’s daughter directive on technical specifications for chemical analyses and monitoring of water status (Commission Directive 2009/90/EC – QA/QC Directive).
Laboratory training in Ukraine © Environment Agency Austria
Laboratory accreditation is the internationally accepted framework for increased quality and consistency of analytical data. The international standard EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017 “General requirements for the technical competence of testing and calibration laboratories” specifies the general requirements for the competence, impartiality and consistent operation of accredited laboratories.
Therefore, the European Water Initiative Plus (EUWI+) offered tailor-made technical support for nine partner laboratories involved in water monitoring in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Belarus and Ukraine towards new laboratory accreditation or expansion of existing scope of accreditation to enhance technical capability and competence.
Links :
- Environmental Laboratory in Armenia: https://euwipluseast.eu/en/component/content/article/90-all-activities/activites-armenia/news-of-armenia/722-celebrating-the-newly-renovated-environmental-laboratory-in-armenia-the-european-union-provides-laboratory-equipment-to-detect-industrial-chemicals-and-pesticides-in-water?Itemid=397
- Water Laboratory in Azerbaijan: https://euwipluseast.eu/en/component/content/article/156-all-activities/activites-azerbaijan/news-of-azerbaijan/701-water-laboratory-opening-in-azerbaijan-european-union-provides-laboratory-equipment-to-detect-industrial-chemicals-and-pesticides-in-water-2?Itemid=397
- Water analysis in Georgia: https://www.umweltbundesamt.at/en/news-reports/news-eaa/en-news-2019/news-191030-en
- Lab accreditation in Moldova: https://euwipluseast.eu/en/component/content/article/158-all-activities/activites-moldova/news-of-republic-of-moldova/862-moldova-successful-laboratory-accreditation?Itemid=397