Directorate for national referential laboratories opened in Belgrade

The Directorate for national referential laboratories, in the reconstruction and furnishing of which European Union (EU) intends to invest 10.5m EUR, was opened today (December 23, 2009) in Belgrade.

The Deputy Head of the EU delegation in Serbia, Adriano Martins, who opened the Directorate together with the Minister of Agriculture of Serbia, Saša Dragin, said that 4m EUR had already been invested in its reconstruction, and that EU would invest additional 6.5m EUR in furnishing of the complex.

The Directorate will be controlling the safety of food, health of animals and plants, as well as planting material, agricultural and decorative plants, milk and plant gene bank.

Saša Dragin said that the national laboratory should start working at full steam by the end of the next year. In addition to controlling the work of laboratories in Serbia, it will be also performing all the analyses that are not profitable for private and state-owned laboratories.