NCEI, WG III Session 2:”Marketing standards and Organic Production- European legislation updates” April 21, 2021

On April 21, 2021 European Movement Albania and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Rural Development in partnership with Slovak Foreign Policy Association and with the financial support of SlovakAid organized within the framework of NCEI, the session 2 of the WGIII focused on: “Marketing standards and Organic Production- European legislation updates”

Gledis Gjipali, the executive director of EMA welcomed the participants and highlighted the relevance of these activities and analyzed the need for the fostering of the adaption process of EU legislation in our country. He stated that this session will provide the means for national actors and foreign experts to exchange information and share their experiences.

Lauresha Grezda, Director at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, spoke about the chapters coordinated by the Ministry and are simultaneously covered by WG III of the Convention implemented by EMA, Chapter 11 and 12. She mentioned that two important documents have been drafted. The first one is related to agriculture strategies, rural development and fishing. The second one is part of IPARD III project and it is at the consultation phase regarding sectorial studies. The Ministry has announced an open call within national schemes financed by state, where one of the criteria to fulfil is the certification of organic products. Grezda thanked all the experts and participants and pointed out the importance of their cooperation with stakeholders in drafting the legislation in Albania under these chapters.

Florian Xhafa, stated that the cooperation between the civil society and the ministry should continue during Albania’s journey towards EU. He provided a detailed explanation on the organic production national legislation. Xhafa said that the certification process in EU has been simplified, whereas the official controls have become more rigorous. He suggested that the regulation that is expected to change in EU should be integrated in Albanian procedure and rules.

Viera Baričičová, the Slovak expert on fresh product standards made a presentation regarding specific EU regulations. She said that the public standards are mandatory whereas the private ones are followed voluntarily. This classification in agriculture is done by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Non-member countries can implement them directly by adapting to the national conditions, however EU Member States have a specific agreement with UNECE on fruits and vegetables. These standards have also been adopted by Codex Alimentarius which deals with food standards in general. OECD scheme is responsible for the explanation of the materials. Baričičova recommended that before EU integration our country needs to adapt the national legislation to UNECE standards. The product is labelled with the botanical and Latin names while the quality evaluations are made after the packaging and before the exporting stage. Minimum requirements include: that the product should not be damaged, rotten and dirty. Fruits and vegetables should be free of insects, unpleasant odors and have a fresh look. The classification according to standards is done in three categories: Extra Class, Class I, Class II. Under the first category fall, all the products with the highest possible quality. Class I category is reserved for good quality products with minor damages. In the Class II category are all products that do not meet the standards of the first two categories, but meet the minimum quality requirements. Each product needs to fulfil some conditions about size, durability and identification labels such as type, country of origin, logo etc.

Discussions: The discussions were raised on the possibility of involving the civil society in the process of criteria setting. The participants also talked about the difference between conventional production which is considered unsafe and integrated production that is considered healthy. The implementation of a strategy based on product cost, subsidies and market organization with fresh products was proposed.  In conclusion, it was discussed about the ways Albania could benefit from the Slovak experience in a more tangible way.

NCEI, WG III Session 2:”Marketing standards and Organic Production- European legislation updates”

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