Brussels, 29 June 2016
Representatives from the European Commission (Commission) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) met in Brussels on 29 June 2016 to discuss the level of implementation of the SAA and of approximation of the country legislation to the EU acquis in the field of agriculture and fisheries, including food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary issues. The meeting was co-chaired for the EU by Mr Louis Hersom from the Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission, and for Bosnia and Herzegovina by Mr Dušan Nešković from the BiH Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations.
During the meeting, developments in the area of agriculture were discussed. The Commission reiterated that BiH needs to strengthen efforts to further enhance its institutional capacities, coordination and legal framework in these areas of the acquis. Further efforts are also needed to establish the relevant national structures for provision of pre-accession assistance to the agricultural sector. Acquis-aligned State-level legislation on wine and organic production as well as a countrywide rural development strategic plan have yet to be adopted. The Commission regretted that a solution regarding the legal framework for an agricultural census also remains pending, and encouraged the BiH authorities to initial the technical level agreement on SAA adaptation.
In the area of food safety, the Commission welcomed the increase in the number of dairy establishments approved for exports of ultra-heated milk to the EU and encouraged the BiH authorities to follow-up on the Commission’s recommendations of the March 2016 audit mission, once issued, in order to remedy certain inefficiencies in the implementation of the BiH action plan on production and processing of dairy products for export. The Commission also encouraged the BiH authorities to introduce new veterinary and food safety norms aligned with the EU acquis. The BiH food and feed controls system also remains to be fully aligned with the acquis and duly implemented, and its central database should be made fully operational, in order for BiH to be able to export animal origin products on the EU market. The Commission encouraged BiH to implement the Hygiene Package in a full and harmonised way across the country, to reinforce the capacities of the BiH inspection services, to adopt a country-wide strategy for the laboratory testing of samples, and to provide economic operators with training on specific EU safety and quality requirements.
On veterinary matters, the Commission welcomed BiH’s conclusion of its rabies control and eradication programme. The Commission also encouraged the country to upgrade its animal disease notification and outbreak information management system, as well its animal identification, registration and movement control system, including the central database, and to establish a country-wide strategy for managing animal by-products. On phytosanitary issues, the Commission welcomed the legislative and regulatory improvements in BiH in early 2016 on the registration of plant protection products, as well as the progressive establishment of a single phyto registry following the approval of the export of potatoes to the EU in July 2015. The Commission also encouraged BiH to step up its capacities in the accreditation of laboratories and phytosanitary inspection services, as well as to train agricultural producers on EU requirements and standards. The Commission also welcomed that the BiH registry of genetically modified food and feed is finally fully operational, and encouraged further alignment with the EU acquis in the field.
Fishery policies in BiH also still require to be harmonised across the country and aligned with the EU acquis in order to increase the BiH producers’ export potential to the EU. The Commission encouraged BiH to define its strategy for fisheries and aquaculture while promoting maritime integrated approaches in support of a sustainable “Blue Economy”.
