Final conference within the cross-border co-operation project was held in Bavarian Selb on 26^th June. CAFIA implemented the project in close co-operation with the Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Environment. CAFIA Inspectorates in Plzeň and Tábor were involved and the Bavarian side was, besides the mentioned Ministry, represented by the administrative bodies of Niederbayern, Oberpfalz and Obenfranken and also by the Landesamt für Gesundheit und Lebensmittlesicherheit based in Erlangen that are also responsible for food safety surveillance in Bavaria.

The aim of the project was to enhance co-operation and establish a network of personal contacts among food inspectors in the cross-border region of the Czech Republic and Bavaria. The main constituents of the project were exchange visits of employees of the involved partner bodies. An agreement on long-term co-operation between the Czech and Bavarian supervisory bodies providing for a framework for further co-operation also after the project activities are terminated was signed at the beginning of the project.

In particular inspectors were the target group of the project. The exchange visits consisted in a visit of a regional inspectorate or the control body where the participants got acquainted with the activities of the given body, current matters were discussed, and finally, they were followed by inspection visits at food business operators. These joint inspections were an important part of the whole project as direct experience and co-operation on practical level always bring the most valuable information and enable new views on the working procedures carried out by the supervisory bodies. The visits were carried out in the scope of competencies of CAFIA and the Bavarian partners. The participants from Bavaria visited for example a bakery, premises where mushrooms are grown or a producer of potato chips. The Czech inspectors then visited for example a storehouse with organic food, a mill or a distiller, etc.

The top representatives of the both partners concurred in the fact the besides communication with the public, also communication among control bodies is important and the established contacts have to be nurtured. A few suggestions for possible future co-operation were mentioned during the conference, e.g. inspection of internet sale, adulteration of food, food quality and further.

The project lasted almost four months and approximately 60 representatives of the mentioned bodies were involved. The budget of the project was c. 70 thousand EUR, out of which 85% will be reimbursed by the European Fund for Regional Development for the Czech side and 70% for the Bavarian side.