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The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) together with Austrian project partners has today completed joint project “Cooperation of Czech and Austrian Food Inspectors in the Czech-Austrian Cross Border Region”. The project was completed with a final workshop that ended bilateral cooperation of CAFIA inspectorates in Brno and Tábor and Land Governments of Lower and Upper Austria, started within the project in September 2005 in Brno with a working meeting of participants from both countries.

The CAFIA Director General, Jakub Šebesta, Minister of Land Government of Lower Austria, Christa Kranzl, Minister of Land Government of Upper Austria, Rudolf Anschober, and an array of direct participants in the project participated in the formal completion of the project.

The main content of the project were short-term exchange studies of Czech and Austrian inspectors in partnership workplaces. From October 2005 to April 2006, a total of 30 CAFIA inspectors specialized in the control of bakery and confectionery products, fresh fruit and vegetables, wine, delicatessen products, and retail establishments visited Austria. On the contrary, CAFIA inspectorates in Tábor and Brno welcomed 32 Austrian food inspectors.

The main contribution of the project were practical experiences and pieces of information from control activities of partnership supervisory bodies, mutual exchange of know-how and the possibility to compare procedures applied in the implementation of EU food law regulations. According to project participants, one of the most useful results is the development of a network of personal contacts which is a good basis for long-term cooperation and exchange of information and knowledge between inspectors from both countries in the future.

During exchange visits, inspectors from both countries could familiarize themselves with differences in their every-day work in a number of activities. The most noticeable were the differences in the organizational structure of authorities, in their competences, in the status of laboratories, or in differently functioning information systems. Administrative procedures, specialization of inspectors, method of imposing measures when deficiencies are identified, or approach to anonymous suggestions for inspection are also different. Both parties thus gained new perspective on the same issues. A number of new information will be a good impetus for the development of participating organizations and will thus serve vicariously to improve food controls at both sides of the border.

During the final assessment workshop, representatives of partnership organizations stressed the importance of such projects aimed at cooperation of supervisory bodies in cross-border regions of EU Member States. “Similarly focused projects are very important for both participating parties for they have very rapid specific impact on every-day work of inspectors. We will be pleased to share our good experience and on the contrary, we will accept that what can make our work more effective”, said today during final evaluation in Linz CAFIA Director General, Jakub Šebesta.

Photo: CAFIA