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UEPLAC to organise International Conference and Roundtable on Food Quality and Safety |
Ukraine accession to the WTO and the current negotiation of a New Enhanced Agreement between the EU and Ukraine give a strong impetus for adjusting the organisational, technical and regulatory framework on food quality and safety.
The system of food quality and safety in Ukraine is still affected by the legacy of the planned economy of the former Soviet Union with pre-eminence granted to mandatory certification of products and reference to outdated GOST-standards. However, a number of key stakeholders among policy makers and public bodies have already understood the benefits of a more market-friendly system aligned to WTO and EU best practice. Moreover, leading enterprises in the food sector in Ukraine did not wait to meet international standards. In parallel, efforts are already made to provide services in accordance with those international standards.
Enterprises need new standards, and above all the support of private laboratories and advisors to improve their Food Quality Policies.
For the effective implementation of the commitments undertaken by Ukraine, which are going to be monitored closely on the international level, the consensus on the principles of a modern food law has still to be broadened among officials in the public administration. In addition, a larger proportion of farmers and food manufacturers has to be familiarised with the potential of the organisation of the food chain based primarily on the compliance with self-regulations and recourse to independent services offered by private or state-owned laboratories.
That was the purpose of the International Conference and the Roundtable which took place at the National Agricultural University of Ukraine, Kyiv on 23 and 24 September 2008 on the central themes:
“Food Safety and Quality: towards the modernisation of the technical and legal framework to meet WTO and EU standards, shared responsibilities between economic operators and public authorities”
Benchmarks to achieve realistic objectives, increased references to the Codex Alimentarius and ISO standards, implementation of the HACCP principles, coexistence of private and public laboratories, valorization of the Ukrainian scientific research on genetic resources were key issues addressed during the Conference, with the participation of top ranked specialists from WTO, ISO, AFACQ and others.
The Conference and the Roundtable were co-organised by Ukrainian-European Policy and Legal Advice Centre (UEPLAC) and the French Embassy in Ukraine in co-operation with the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine (State Department for Legislative Approximation), the National Agrarian University of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation and the National Academy of Agricultural Science.
Materials:
- Food quality and safety: shared responsabilities between economic operators and public authorities Towards the Modernization of the Technical and Legal Framework to meet WTO and EU standards: success stories and challenges ahead in Ukraine WTO principles and functionning of the SPS committee - Mr Cedric Pene, Member of the Permanent Delegation of France to the WTO
- Participation of workers in the safety of the food chain - Articulation between labour law and food law - Mr Jacques Tallineau, UEPLAC Legal Adviser in Internal Market Issues and Economic and Trade-related Reforms
- Role of a private laboratories in the process of Food Quality management - Mr Fabien Martins, Central and Eastern European Countries Business Development Director, Laboratory Eurofins, UEPLAC expert
- Regulatory framework, standardisation and codes of good practice (French version) - Mr Olivier Boutou, Department of Standardisation of agricultural products, AFNOR, France, UEPLAC expert
- Principles and conditions for food quality and safety. Confidence of consumers in the standards implemented in the food chain and related official controls - Mr Francois Falconnet, Chairman of ISO Technical Committee 34, UEPLAC expert
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