Component 1.6 provides financial support to allow a number of non-EU countries to participate in the annual Proficiency Testing Service (PTS) for national FMD reference laboratories (NRLs). It is managed through a Letter of Agreement (LoA) with the EU Reference Laboratory (EU-RL), who will administer the PTS and also will facilitate the participation of representatives from the supported countries involved to the annual EU reference laboratory meetings. The intention is that the activities of this component will ensure better alignment of neighbourhood NRLs with the EuFMD and EU standard for FMD diagnostic NRLS performance.

The activities in this component will be specifically provided to EuFMD Member Nations that are not EU members and those for which the agreement with DG SANTE is that they cover the cost of their participation in the PTS: Albania, Bosnia, Georgia, Israel, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Turkey.