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The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) terminated its half-year project called Comprehensive staff training with respect to risk management and communication (COSTRA). The final ceremony was held on 15 December in Prague and in addition to CAFIA staff, it was attended by representatives of Dutch control body VWA (Voedsel en Waren Autoriteit), Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Agriculture.

This was a second project implemented by the CAFIA this year, financed from the Transition Facility Programme.

The objective of the COSTRA project is to provide training and practical experience to Inspection Authority staff in accordance with new requirements of the European Commission. The seminars were aimed at deepening of knowledge in a number of important issues (preparation of inspections, control procedures and techniques, preparation and implementation of control plans, HACCP system audit, traceability, food hygiene or risk communication).

Both inspectors and senior officials were called in to help to deepen the knowledge; individual courses were led by the VWA in collaboration with Education and Science Centre at the University in Wageningen.

The project budget amounted to almost EUR 140,000 and it was covered by the European Union. The CAFIA thus continues to use support the Czech Republic receives to enhance those parts of public administration where administrative and institutional capacity is not fully compatible in comparison to old Member States.

The Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority has been using financial resources from the EU for ten years. For example, from the Phare fund it received more than EUR 3,000,000. Other grants were obtained from recently terminated INTERREG IIIA project. These grants are used to purchase laboratory equipment and information and communication technology, to train CAFIA staff, to develop joint information system of Czech supervisory bodies and to implement quality management system at the CAFIA.