Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 27 / Trend /
Cracow will host an Eastern Partnership (EaP) conference on the convergence of regulations in countries covered by the Eastern Partnership initiative with EU law on veterinary, phytosanitary and food safety and quality matters, with the participation of representatives of the countries covered by the Eastern Partnership and EU Member States.
The two-day conference will run on Oct.27-28, ENPI Info Center reported with reference to the EU's Polish Presidency.
The meeting, bringing together representatives of the EaP countries and EU Member States, is envisaged as a forum for discussion on the prospects and scope for further development of the Eastern Partnership in the field of agriculture, the press release said.
The European Commission will present the opportunities offered by the EU in terms of short-term technical assistance and adapting legal regulations in the partner countries to Community law. The Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the eastern dimension of EU policy in the context of the EU agricultural policy will also be presented.
Four expert panels will be organised, on topics including animal health, plant health, food safety and food quality. Experts from EaP countries and the EU will have the opportunity to establish closer contacts, which in future may lead to long-term cooperation.
The Eastern Partnership program, initiated by Poland and Sweden in 2008, seeks to bring the six post-Soviet countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine closer to the democratic and economic workings of the EU.