Thank you for informing me about the meeting in Luxembourg on 23 April. Yes, I have already been informed about the meeting through ECOMET channels.

Within ECOMET there are different views about the pricing policy. Some members have, however, a view not far from the view of PRIMET. Some members have, of course, other views. I assure you that ECOMET will have a thorough discussion on the pricing policy. One element of this discussion has now become quite clear: The prices of the different NMHSs in the ECOMET catalouge must be independently determined. We are taking great care to ensure that this is the case.

The driving force in the setting of prices, in my view, must be a consideration, within each NMHS, of what is best for society, and economically possible. The point of view that, today, high prices seriously limit the use of good data and products, has been put very visibly on the table, by PRIMET as well as by ECOMET members sharing this view. The way foreward, I think, is an open discussion of this issue. In this context we will discuss, at the forthcoming ECOMET General Assembly, how to resume the contact between ECOMET and PRIMET. My personal view is that this contact should indeed be reestablished, but the GA needs to agree on how this should be done. I anticipate that ECOMET will contact PRIMET on this issue shortly after the GA, which takes place on 30 June and 1 July.

Kind regards.

 Anton Eliassen