1.Member States shall designate one or more national reference laboratories for each European Union reference laboratory designated in accordance with Article 93(1).
Member States may designate a national reference laboratory also in the cases where there is no corresponding European Union reference laboratory.
A Member State may designate a laboratory situated in another Member State or in a third country that is a Contracting Party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area.
A single laboratory may be designated as a national reference laboratory for more than one Member State.
2.The requirements provided for in point (e) of Article 37(4), Article 37(5), Article 39 and Article 42(1), points (a) and (b) of Article 42(2) and Article 42(3) shall apply to national reference laboratories.
By way of derogation from point (e) of Article 37(4), for the area governed by the rules referred to in point (g) of Article 1(2), competent authorities may designate official laboratories, designated as such by the competent authorities on the basis of a derogation adopted under Article 41, as national reference laboratories irrespective of whether they fulfil the condition provided for in point (e) of Article 37(4).
3.National reference laboratories shall:
(a)be impartial, free from any conflict of interests, and in particular not be in a situation which may, directly or indirectly, affect the impartiality of their professional conduct as regards the exercise of their tasks as national reference laboratories;
(b)have, or have contractual access to, suitably qualified staff with adequate training in analytical, testing and diagnostic techniques in their area of competence, and support staff as appropriate;
(c)possess, or have access to, the infrastructure, equipment and products needed to carry out the tasks assigned to them;
(d)ensure that their staff and any contractually engaged staff have good knowledge of international standards and practices and that the latest developments in research at national, Union and international level are taken into account in their work;
(e)be equipped with, or have access to, the necessary equipment to perform their tasks in emergency situations; and
(f)where relevant, be equipped to comply with relevant biosecurity standards.
4.Member States shall:
(a)communicate the name and address of each national reference laboratory to the Commission, the relevant European Union reference laboratory and other Member States;
(b)make the information referred to in point (a) available to the public; and
(c)update the information referred to in point (a) whenever necessary.
5.Member States that have more than one national reference laboratory for a European Union reference laboratory shall ensure that such laboratories work closely together, so as to ensure efficient coordination between them, with other national laboratories and with the European Union reference laboratory.
6.The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 144 to supplement this Regulation concerning the establishment of requirements for national reference laboratories in addition to those laid down in paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article. Such delegated acts shall be limited to ensuring coherence with any additional requirements adopted in accordance with Article 99(2).