EU Enlargement

As food crises do not respect national borders, the establishment of an efficient European food safety system requires co-operation between all Member States. That is why food safety issues play an important role in accession negotiations for EU membership.

The Council Regulation establishing the new Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) was adopted on 17 July 2006. It replaces the previous pre-accession financial instruments - PHARE, ISPA, SAPARD, CARDS and the Turkish pre-accession instrument. The IPA came into force on 1 January 2007 bringing all pre-accession support into a single, focused instrument. It covers the countries with candidate status (currently Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey) and potential candidate status (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo – under UNSC Resolution 1244).

Under the IPA, EFSA is implementing the action entitled: “Preparatory Measures for the Participation of the Candidate and the Potential Candidate Countries in EFSA”, financed by the European Commission. The objectives of this programme are to:

  • Prepare the competent bodies in beneficiary countries active in the fields relevant to the work of EFSA, the European Commission and Member States for their future participation in EFSA networks,
  • Help create communication and information exchange systems that will enable future participation of the beneficiary countries in EFSA networks, 
  • Transfer knowledge on methodologies used in the fields within the remit of EFSA, in particular on risk assessment and data collection, 
  • Support the beneficiary countries in their communication activities linked to risk assessment.
2009-2010 programme

The Programme 2009-2010 comprises series of workshops, study visits and seminars in various areas of EFSA’s remit including topics such as animal health and welfare, chemical contaminants, harmonisation of risk assessment approaches, data collection, food additives and flavourings, dietetic products, nutrition, health claims, emerging risks and novel food.

Speakers from EFSA, EU institutions and Member States will be involved in seminars to provide information on developments both on the Community level and in the individual Member States. In addition, representatives from the beneficiary countries will be given the opportunity to participate in specific EFSA meetings, conferences, and scientific and stakeholder colloquiums.

Participation in this Programme will further enable the beneficiaries to familiarise themselves with the EU policies and working methods particularly focusing on “from field to plate” integrated approach to food safety.

The overall objective of the Programme is to promote the understanding of EFSA’s work, share expertise and create information exchange mechanisms, and to ensure that the national authorities of the beneficiary countries can participate effectively in the activities of EFSA both prior to accession and following accession to the EU.

Contacts

Finn Sheye,
Pre-Accession Programme Coordinator, Policy Officer, Legal and Policy Affairs Unit
Tel: +39 0521 036 672
Finn.sheye@efsa.europa.eu

Goran Kumric,
Policy Officer, Legal and Policy Affairs Unit
Tel: +39 0521 036 862
Goran.kumric@efsa.europa.eu

 

See Also