The European region is not only the largest in the Codex Alimentarius Commission but is probably the most diverse. It resembles a bridge between the West and the East. It is symbolic that for the first time, Kazakhstan, geographically located both in Europe and in Asia currently serves as coordinator for the region.

The FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Europe (CCEURO) will bring together in Almaty, Kazakhstan,  from 30 September to 4 October 2019, delegates and observers from 51 countries that make up this Codex region.

A unique opportunity for the countries of our region.

“Each CCEURO session is a unique opportunity for the countries of our region to develop strategies, discuss current challenges and jointly find solutions to overcome them, using all our strengths, the full range of our diversity and our historical and practical experiences and scientific approaches”, said Nailya Karsybekova, Kazakhstan, Professor at the Astana "Moscow" Business center and Codex Regional Coordinator.

Nailya Karsybekova, Coordinator CCEURO

Sebastian Hielm, Director of Food Safety in the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said: “Representing Finland and the EU-presidency I’m thrilled to be in Almaty for CCEURO31. This is a rare opportunity for the largest regional group in Codex to get together and discuss how we want food standards to evolve”.

Mary Kenny, Food Safety and Consumer Protection Officer, FAO in the Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia said: “CCEURO is a unique meeting bringing together food safety regulators from across Europe and Central Asia, facilitating technical discussions, but also highlighting the importance of political will for food safety governance”.

Over the course of the week, delegates will engage on the big food safety issues in the region, and seek to deliver a regional workplan that responds to the goals and objectives of the new Codex Strategic Plan.

The keynote speaker at CCEURO31 is Paul Brereton, Director of Strategic Alliances, Queen’s University Belfast and he will give an overview of the problem of food fraud in terms of risks to consumer health and methods of preventing, counteracting and responding to it.

“Codex is a member-led organisation and the keynote presentation on food fraud should prompt us to think where further work by Codex could help to counter food fraud and so support fair practices in the food trade”, said Steve Wearne, Director, Global Affairs at the UK Food Standards Agency and Vice-Chairperson of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

“We look forward to engaging discussions on common food safety and quality challenges, renewed insights into priorities, and sharing of experiences on continuing to improve food safety and quality”, said Kenny.

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Follow the #CCEURO31 agenda on the Codex website with updates all week on Twitter with the hashtag #CCEURO31