The Minister of Environment and Agriculture, Otar Shamugia, met with Sandra Gallina, Director General of Health and Food Safety of the European Commission, within the framework of a working visit to Brussels.

According to the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture, the meeting focused on the progress that Georgia has achieved on the path of European integration.

As Otar Shamugia noted, the Ministry is actively preparing for the next steps of European integration. A working group has already been created to coordinate the implementation of the recommendations and develop an action plan provided for in the European Commission's November 11, 2023 communication document on enlargement policy issues.

According to him, the group will identify all the measures and needs that are necessary for the effective and timely implementation of the relevant activities for the implementation of the mentioned recommendations.

"Our priority is the EU market and the full use of the potential of this market. In order to maximize the potential of the EU market, it is necessary to increase the competitiveness of local agro-food products. I must mention the important progress that Georgia has achieved in the areas of food safety, veterinary medicine and plant protection, which is, to some extent, the merit of the neighborhood program. Georgia continues to implement the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area Agreement (DCFTA) with the European Union. We have already taken important steps to meet our commitments. In accordance with the association agreement, since 2015, Georgia has been successfully approximating the national legislation with the legal acts of the European Union in the direction of veterinary, phytosanitary and food safety, and this process is scheduled until 2028", Otar Shamugia said.

According to the information, the General Director of Health and Food Safety of the European Commission thanked Otar Shamugia for providing detailed information, positively evaluated the steps taken in terms of food safety and expressed readiness for active cooperation.

According to the agency, the meeting was attended by First Deputy Minister of Environment and Agriculture Nino Thandilashvili, Deputy Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the Kingdom of Belgium Bidzina Javakhishvili and Deputy Head of the National Food Agency Vasil Basiladze.

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