National Laboratories shall participate in periodic standardisation and external quality assurance exercises organised by the Community Reference Laboratory.

In the framework of such exercises, the Community Reference Laboratory may take account of the results achieved by a National Laboratory which has within a reasonable timespan participated in a quality assurance exercise organised by one of the international organisations responsible for external quality assurance of vesicular virus disease diagnosis, such as OIE, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations or the International Atomic Energy Agency.

National Laboratories shall operate internal quality assurance programmes. The specification of such programmes may be laid down in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 89(2). Pending the adoption of detailed provisions, the specifications in the OIE Guidelines for Laboratory Quality Evaluation shall apply (OIE Standards Commission, September 1995).

As part of quality assurance, National Laboratories shall demonstrate compliance of the tests in routine use with the requirements for sensitivity and specificity defined in the OIE Manual, or in Annexe XIV of this Directive, whichever is more stringent.