(g)access to the services of official laboratories capable of providing analytical, testing and diagnostic results within appropriate deadlines and equipped with the information technology tools necessary to ensure the introduction of the results of analyses, tests or diagnoses carried out into the IMSOC as appropriate.

15. Insists on the positive impact of cloud computing services on SMEs, in particular those established in remote or outermost areas or facing economic difficulties, as such services contribute to the reduction of fixed costs for SMEs by allowing the rental of computing power and storage, and calls on the Commission to consider an appropriate framework allowing SMEs to increase their growth and productivity, as SMEs can benefit from reduced upfront costs and better access to analytics tools;

50. Stresses that, owing to uncertainties regarding applicable law and jurisdiction, contracts are the main tools for establishing relations between cloud providers and their customers, and that there is therefore a clear need for common EU guidelines in that field;

15. Establishes from the AAR that with regards to the negotiation and start of RD projects, some delay was recorded in the delivery of the ‘production environment’ for the Joint Undertaking contract negotiations due to some change of priority in the Commission's services responsible for the management of the FP7 IT tools; takes note from the Joint Undertaking that the technical delay is under control and that a fully operational production environment was expected to be delivered by mid-January 2011; notes, however, that as a mitigating action to prevent further delays in the Joint Undertaking contract negotiations, ...[+++]a back-up solution based on manual processing is in place that would allow the closure of all negotiations in the first quarter 2011 (assuming that National contracts are signed), in case the IT tools were not yet ready;

15. Establishes from the AAR that with regards to the negotiation and start of RD projects, some delay was recorded in the delivery of the "production environment" for the Joint Undertaking contract negotiations due to some change of priority in the Commission's services responsible for the management of the FP7 IT tools; takes note from the Joint Undertaking that the technical delay is under control and that a fully operational production environment was expected to be delivered by mid-January 2011; notes, however, that as a mitigating action to prevent further delays in the Joint Undertaking contract negotiations, ...[+++]a back-up solution based on manual processing is in place that would allow the closure of all negotiations in the first quarter 2011 (assuming that National contracts are signed), in case the IT tools were not yet ready;

5. Welcomes the Agency's ICT software development for project management (i.e. MATRIX), which constitutes an effective computer-aided tool for setting up project plans and documenting them in a uniform manner and for implementing and managing projects, and which, based on the IAS audit on planning and monitoring of March 2011, was stated to constitute best practice and a source of strength; also welcomes the Agency's initiative to link MATRIX with ABAC, the budgetary system, in order to provide information on the level of commitment and payment appropriations execution;