• Entrepreneurs
• Business information
• Certification
• CAFIA laboratories
• CAFIA opinions
• More information
• Consumers
• How to know the food market
• Results of CAFIA inspections
• Consumer rights
• List of risky sites
• Hoaxes
• Other visitors
• Press Releases
• Internships at CAFIA
• Public contracts

3.3.International Projects

3.3.1 The Phare Project

The realisation of the Phare project “Strengthening Food Safety Policy”, initiated in April 2003, continued in 2004. In June 2004, the twinning part of the project, focused on training and further education by means of short-term study visits abroad, was successfully concluded. 45 seminars and 7 study visits abroad were realised within the twinning part of the project in the course of fifteen months. The twinning part of the project was officially concluded on 7 June 2004. Closing workshop for some of experts participating in the project was organised, where representatives of the CAFIA, NAGREF (twinning partner of the project), Planet Regional, Representation of EC in the Czech Republic and Ministry of Agriculture took part. Further parts of the project targeted at implementation and certification of the quality management system for the CAFIA in accordance with the requirements of the ISO 9001:2000 standard and building of common information system of control bodies in the Czech Republic, were initiated in the summer months of 2004.

Training

In the framework of the twinning part of the project, two remaining seminars out of the total number of five seminars intended for the CAFIA management were realised; the topics were as follows:  “Crises Management” and “Individuality of Managers”. As for the training intended for the CAFIA middle and lower management, a second seminar on “Internal Communication” took place in April. In the framework of the seminars intended for the CAFIA middle and lower management, seminar with the topic of “Negotiating in EU”, led by experienced trainers from the Dutch EIPA (European Institute of Public Administration) was realised in addition to the original plan. The CAFIA staff nominated to working groups and committees of the EC and Council of EU took part in the seminar. Remaining specialised seminars were also organised for other staff. As in 2003, a number of these specialised seminars consisted of both the theoretical and the practical part. The topics of the seminars were as follows: wine, seminars dealing with the issues of labelling and adulteration of foodstuffs , organoleptic assessment of virgin olive oil, seminars dealing with the issues of HACCP from the view of control of quality of fresh fruit and vegetables, seminars dealing with the issues of pesticides (most of them were realised in the Inspectorate in Prague) and seminar on “HACCP in retail” that included practical demonstration of inspection.

Study Visits Abroad

In March 2004, directors of the CAFIA Inspectorates visited various institutions in Brussels - EFSA, legislative department of DG SANCO, RASFF in DG SANCO, Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the EU, AFSCA (Belgian Food Agency) and Catholic University in the city of Louvain. Another study visit was realised in May 2004 to Greece, where chosen CAFIA staff, specialised in pesticides, participated. The aim of this visit was to acquaint with the monitoring system of pesticides in Greece. In addition to these two planned study visits abroad, three employees of Inspectorate in Prague visited Netherlands, namely Regional Inspectorate of VWA (Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority). The aim of this visit was to get familiar with the methods of controls of foodstuffs of non-animal origin imported from the third countries.

3.3.2. Other Projects

Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights

The CAFIA has been actively participating in the Phare project “Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights”, implemented by the Industrial Property Office (IPO). This project  started already in 2001. A CAFIA representative participated regularly in the meetings of the project Steering Committee. In the first half of 2004, 100 CAFIA staff and 10 CAFIA trainers were trained in the issues concerning intellectual property rights in the framework of this project. A web portal www.dusevnivlastnictvi.cz, including training materials, was also created in the framework of this project. The CAFIA started to contribute to this information system of IPO with its data about controls concerning infringement of intellectual property rights.

The QUID Thematic Network Project

A three-year project under the name of “the QUID Thematic Network”, realised in the framework of the 5th Framework Programme was finished in 2004. The aim of this three-year project was to determine the procedures used for quantitative ingredients declaration (QUID) checks in individual EU countries and also candidate countries for selected kinds of foodstuff’s (determination of meat, milk and fruit contents); to harmonise and define these procedures, and to determine their limits and potential development. 26 participants from nine EU countries and five candidate countries were involved in this project. The activities included exchange of theoretical information, discussion about this information, analysis of food samples, interpretation of the results and discussion on a potential optimal method of ingredients’ determination. In the course of 2004, the third task, i.e. determination of fruit contents, was solved. A conference organised by the project co-ordinator, the British LGC (The Laboratory of the Government Chemist) concluded the project in September.

DIGIT-ROSTLINA Project

A three-year project named DIGIT-ROSTLINA, launched in 2003, continued in the framework of the Czech-Flemish co-operation. Representatives of KHK-Geel Katholike Hogschool Kempen, in Prague, of the Union of Bohemia and Moravia Greengroucers, the representatives CAFIA and VWA (Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority) are taking part in this project. In 2004, photographic documentation was created with the aim to create picture standards for vegetables. These standards are to serve to the needs of the Czech and Flemish producers both in trade, quality classification and also for the training of growers and their further education.  The project will continue also in 2005.

The Safe Food all over Europe Project

In the first half of 2004, the CAFIA applied for participation in the project “SAFE FOOD all over Europe” that is realised in the framework of the Small Phare Program and financed by the European Commission. The project is co-ordinated by the county council of the Italian Regione Veneto. The aim of the project is to facilitate the exchange of experience and information among food safety specialists from Middle and South Europe. Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Italy, Poland, Rumania and Slovenia take part in the project. First workshop was held in November 2004 in Sofia where representatives of all the project partners participated.  Project will be finished in June 2005.

Project of the  INTERREG IIIAProgramme

Since summer 2004, project focused on co-operation among Czech and Austrian inspectors is being prepared in the framework of  INTERREG IIIA programme. The project will be co-financed by the CAFIA. Project should contribute to further strengthening of co-operation with the Austrian control bodies, namely with control bodies in Upper Austria, Vienna and Lower Austria.

Other Projects

A draft of the twinning project OFFCOS focused on the controls of foodstuffs of non-animal origin imported from third countries was created already by the end of 2003. In the first half of 2004, the Centre for Foreign Assistance approved the project for its realisation in the framework of the programme Transition Facility. The draft of the project was elaborated because of the responsibilities imposed on CAFIA in the field of control of non-animal foodstuffs imported from third countries since the entry of the Czech Republic into the EU.  Realisation itself will start in the second quarter of 2005.

By the end of 2004, the CAFIA submitted a draft of twinning project COSTRA. In the framework of the project, seminars and study visits abroad focused on the issues concerning risk management and risk communication will be realised. The project was advised by the Centre for Foreign Assistance to be implemented and to be financed from the Phare programme financial reserve. The draft project was created in reaction to the Czech Republic assessment in the Comprehensive Monitoring Report, Monitoring Report of FVO and in reaction to the development of European legislation in the field of food safety. The project is a logical follow-up to the “big” twinning in the framework of the Phare project “Strengthening Food Safety Policy”. In the beginning of November 2004, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic sent the initial proposal of the project to the Centre of Foreign Assistance; the project was approved in December.

The CAFIA elaborated draft of the project “Food Safety in E-commerce” that responds to the need to train CAFIA staff members who would carry out inspections of foodstuffs and food supplements that are distributed through e-commerce and other than traditional distribution channels. In June 2004, the Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic sent the draft project to the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, an institution through which the Dutch government financially supports chosen short-term project.

In the beginning of 2004, the CAFIA started to consider realisation of a project focused on control of wines adulterated with synthetic aromas and was looking for a suitable project programme and partners for its implementation. In autumn, the Horticulture Faculty of the MUAF, namely the Institute for Viticulture and Viniculture, was addressed as a potential co-ordinator of the project. The CAFIA will closely co-operate with the MUAF in searching other suitable project partners and on constitution of a project consortium and in subsequent preparation and realisation of the project.