What is Legal Metrology?

Metrology is the scientific study of measurement. Legal Metrology is the entirety of the technical and administrative procedures established in law by the public authorities in order to guarantee the quality of measurements made in the course of commercial transactions and official controls, and in relation to health care, safety, etc.

WELMEC background

WELMEC was founded in June 1990 with 18 representative Members from national authorities responsible for legal metrology in European Union and EFTA member States signing up to a Memorandum of Understanding

WELMEC is the European Cooperation in Legal Metrology and was founded in Switzerland, when a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by representatives of 18 national legal metrology authorities in European Union and EFTA member states. When it was founded, the acronym WELMEC stood for Western European Legal Metrology Cooperation. However, today WELMEC extends beyond western Europe and includes representatives from Central and Eastern Europe. The acronym WELMEC has been retained.

The WELMEC Committee comprises three categories of individuals: Members, Associate Members and Observer Organisations. There were at the beginning 18 Members, which were the 18 countries who signed the MoU in 1990, and ten Associate members. The Associate Members are representatives of Central and Eastern European countries. During the 19th WELMEC Committee meeting in 2003 in Madrid, Cyprus and Malta were also welcomed as Associate Members, bringing the number of Associate Members up to twelve. In May 2004 the ten new EU member countries Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia signed the MoU during the 20^th Committee meeting in Casta-Papiernicka, Slovakia. In 2005 during the 21^st Committee meeting in Edinburgh, Turkey was unanimously accepted as Associate Member and in 2006 in Bulgaria in addition Croatia was welcomed as Associate Member. In 2007, Bulgaria and Romania signed the Memorandum of Understanding during the meeting in Sinai, Romania. 

WELMEC also corresponds with various organisations such as European Trade associations and other regional metrology organisations.

The principal aim of WELMEC is to establish a harmonised and consistent approach to European legal metrology. WELMEC is concerned with the establishment, maintenance and improvement of channels of communication between its members and associate members and aims to develop mutual confidence through participation in common activities.

WELMEC also actively develops links with other regional and international bodies which have an interest in European metrology. WELMEC’s work is carried out by its Working Groups. These groups provide guidance documents (WELMEC guides) which are available on this website. For further information about WELMEC read WELMEC 1 – An introduction.

Objectives of WELMEC

• Develop mutual confidence between legal metrology services ;
• Achieve harmonisation of legal metrology activities ;
• Identify any special features of legal metrology which need to be reflected in the European metrology, certification and testing framework ;
• Organise the exchange of information ;
• Promote the removal of barriers to trade in the field of measuring instruments ;
• Promote consistency of interpretation and application of normative documents and propose actions to facilitate implementation ;
• Identify technical problems which might form the subject of collaborative projects ;
• Maintain working links with other relevant bodies with an interest in legal metrology ;
• Debate trends and establish criteria for the scope of legal metrology and maintain channels for a continuous flow of knowledge.