Medlemsstaterne paaser, at der i alle medlemsstaterne udpeges et nationalt referencelaboratorium, der har faciliteter og specialuddannet personale til, at det til enhver tid og isaer ved nyudbrud af en sygdom kan foretage bestemmelse af patogentype, -undertype eller -variant og bekraefte de resultater, som regionale diagnoselaboratorier er naaet frem til.
Member States shall ensure that in each Member State a national reference laboratory is designated, with facilities and expert personnel enabling it to show at all times, and especially when the disease in question first appears, the type, sub-type and variant of the relevant pathogen and to confirm results obtained by regional diagnostic laboratories.