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Dear Friends,
 
It's already some years when the Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority together with other authorities and institutions have set out on a challenging journey, in other words called the "harmonisation of the Czech legislation with laws of the European Union". We have been harmonising both legislation and our own inspection activities with a vision of the objective that until recently had seemed somehow vague and for a great many people not very much specific. Its outlines, however, have slowly become clear and without any doubt we are about to put on the final spurt to reach the end of the lengthy and difficult journey leading to a permanent integration of the Czech Republic into the European Union structures.

The harmonisation that may have become a repeated cliché in a few previous years was not and is not an end in itself. It has never meant and does not mean for CAFIA a mere "emulation" of somebody else's example. CAFIA does not want to do only what has already been implemented somewhere else by others, or to assume only the well-established procedures with lack of discrimination, while being aware of a high standard and well functioning proper system. The harmonisation for us means a reconciliation of activities, adequate interface for the mutual transfer of information and solid partnership with other European inspection authorities.

As yet, CAFIA has protected the interests of ten thousand million Czech consumers and fair businessmen. Now, a new era has arrived when the protection has been given new dimensions and CAFIA will become a part of the system in a near future, which has to protect several hundreds of millions of people in Europe. The foods that CAFIA is to control will soon no more be destined only for the Czech consumers. They can appear on a table of any citizen of the unified Europe. CAFIA, in all earnestness and accountability, will assume a due part of its responsibility. The goods, passing through the "Czech Courtyard", will accepted as trustworthy also for other countries without a reason for being afraid of foodstuffs of the Czech origin. On the contrary, the Czech consumers, whose confidence in the food safety on our market tends to increase, will not have a reason for being sceptical.

The "zero hour" is within sight. The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority is ready to become involved into all-European system of food surveillance. Our experience and knowledge up to now, arising from an open and close cooperation with a number of inspection authorities in other European countries, fill us with conviction that we have set out on the right journey. The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority is prepared - even with a certain reserve and margin, to become a full member of this prestigious European structure. The Annual Report on CAFIA activities carried out last year, you're holding in your hands, brings in a substantiate proof.
 

  Ing. Jakub Šebesta
CAFIA General Director

Brno, February 1, 2002