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Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority (CAFIA) completed today the twinning part of the Phare project 020502 – “Strengthening Food Safety Policy”, initiated on 3 April 2003.

On the basis of bilateral agreement with National Agricultural Research Foundation – NAGREF, Greece, CAFIA employees were in past 15 months trained by NAGREF experts in the field of selected managerial skills, as well as professional knowledge.

Managerial courses were aimed at, for example, strategy and planning, management of human resources or management of crisis situations. CAFIA experts were among others trained on European law, introduction of the Critical Control Points System or went through a practical course of organoleptic assessment of olive oils. Experts from Great Britain, the Netherlands, France, Sweeden, Germany and Belgium also participated in these training actions. Integral part of the program were visits of foreign supervisory authorities, where CAFIA experts could exchange their experience both from the field and from the laboratory practice.

In addition, tender dossier were prepared by foreign experts for the introduction of ISO 9001:2000 standard and CAFIA certification, and the establishment of a common information system of six supervisory bodies of the CR (CAFIA, State Veterinary Administration, State Phytosanitary Administration, Central Supervising and Testing Institute for Agriculture, General Customs Directorate and Public Health Services).

On the occasion of the completion of the twinning part, a closing workshop of experts who took part in the project was today held in Brno. Representatives of CAFIA, NAGREF, Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic and Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic also participated in this project. During today´s workshop the pre-accession adviser, Mr. Leonidas Coucoulas, assessed twinning as successful and mutually contributive.

The Phare project represents EUR 2,400,000 (i.e. CZK 74,000,000). For the twinning part has been budgeted EUR 1,000,000 (i.e. CZK 32,000,000).

The project will continue by introducing the ISO 9001:2000 standard and by establishing a common information system of supervisory bodies that are responsible for food and feed safety in the Czech Republic. The Phare project should be definitely completed by 31 October 2005.

The Phare programme aims to help the Czech Republic prepare for membership of the European Union. Since 1990, just less than EUR1.1 billion (CzK 34.3 billion)* worth of Phare projects have been approved for the Czech Republic.

Twinning is an integral part of the Phare programme; some 110 projects have been approved under the Twinning instrument, representing some EUR75 million (CzK 2.4 billion). Under the ISPA programme, which finances transport and environmental projects, some EUR507 million (Czk 16.2 billion) has been approved since 2000, and under the SAPARD programme, which funds agriculture and rural development measures, over EUR92 million (CzK 3 billion) has been approved since 2000. In 2002, under the European Union Solidarity Fund, a further EUR 129 million (over Czk 4.1 billion) were approved to help the Czech Republic in its efforts to repair flood damage. This brings the total of EU funding approved for the Czech Republic to date to EUR 1.8 billion (CZK 57.6 billion).

* exchange rate used is 1 EUR = 32 CZK