Within the framework of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI), the Latvian State Plant Protection Service - in partnership with the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Lithuanian State Plant Service of the Ministry of Agriculture - has launched a Twinning project in Ukraine " Alignment of Ukrainian plant protection and plant health legislation with EU legislation and strengthening of related control and laboratory services"
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
The project aims to strengthen the Ukrainian regulatory framework and the correct procedural regulatory framework for the monitoring of the use of plant protection products, as well as to strengthen the inspection and laboratory activities of the Ukrainian Food Safety and Consumer Protection Service, bringing them closer to EU standards.
The project has three components being implemented simultaneously:
- Alignment of Ukrainian legislation with the EU acquis communautaire (the body of Community legislation) on plant protection products and their residues;
- Evaluation of the organization and functioning of the inspection, providing recommendations for the optimization of the inspection and the necessary follow-up actions to achieve ISO 17020 accreditation;
- Evaluation of the organization and performance of laboratories, making recommendations for the optimization and development of laboratories, as well as recommendations for the acquisition of new laboratory equipment and necessary supplies.
The duration of the project is 21 months and the total EU funding for the project is €2 million. The project is expected to have the following results:
- The drafting of at least four Ukrainian plant protection laws and regulations;
- evaluate and improve existing procedures and, if necessary, design new procedures for the control and monitoring of plant protection products and for the control of illegal plant protection products;
- producing training material on the control and monitoring of plant protection products and the control of illegal plant protection products;
- to train at least 100 Ukrainian regional inspectors for the implementation of the new procedures, who will be in a position to pass on the knowledge after the implementation of the project;
- carry out an information campaign on the dangers of using illegal plant protection products;
- Develop a National Action Plan for Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products and a Pesticide Monitoring Plan;
- develop a modernization plan for five Ukrainian laboratories and make proposals for the purchase of equipment. Train at least 25 laboratory technicians in the new standard methods of analysis.
The State Plant Protection Service is implementing this project as senior project partner, which entails coordination and management of the project. State Plant Protection Service specialists are participating as experts in the implementation of all project components.
" Latvia's victory in the project competition shows that Latvia is able to compete with other EU Member States as our experts are professional and their knowledge is broad enough to help improve the situation in another country. The implementation of the project is a valuable experience for both State Plant Protection Service and to Latvia as a whole, as it brings international recognition. During the project implementation, experience exchange visits are organised, where Ukrainian specialists working in the plant protection and plant health sector get an insight into the plant protection and plant health sector in Latvia, Germany and Lithuania, and valuable contacts are established," says Kristine Lifānova, Director of VAAD.
Project's Facebook page.