Anne Beutling and Vanessa Beier, Germany, Regional Coordinator for CCEURO

As part of the Codex Trust Fund (CTF) support provided to Turkmenistan, Members of the National Codex Committee of Turkmenistan took part in a three-day study trip to Germany, which currently acts as the Regional Coordinator for Europe. The all-female delegation, representing the core members of the Turkmen National Codex Committee, consisted of representatives from the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry, the Centre of Public Health and Nutrition, the Ministry of Trade and Foreign Relations, the State Services “Turkmenstandartlary” and the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs.

While the ongoing CTF project in Turkmenistan primarily focuses on the use of Codex standards and their adaptation to national needs, the workshop, held from 4-6 September 2023, provided the participants with insights into

• the institutional Codex set-up and use of Codex standards in Germany as Member of the European Union, 
• Germany’s priorities as CCEURO coordinator and its experience as a Codex Committee host,
• the contribution of national experts to FAO/WHO risk assessments as the basis for Codex texts and
• the national monitoring of antimicrobial resistance throughout the food chain.

Jointly organized by the Federal German Ministry for Food and Agriculture (BMEL), the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL), the workshop also gave participants the opportunity to visit an animal farm for carryover experiments on the possible transfer of residues or contaminants from feed to food and laboratories for pesticide residues and antibiotic resistance testing.

A basis for better participation and regional coordination

“The comprehensive programme and the possibility to physically visit core institutions of the German Codex and food safety system has helped us learn a lot in a very short period of time” said Maya Ashyrova, Turkmen Codex Contact Point, expressing her gratitude on behalf of the delegation.

“Increasing participation of CCEURO Members in Codex activities is one of Germany’s most ambitious objectives as Regional Coordinator” added Anne Beutling, Chairperson of CCEURO “The in-depth exchanges between the German and Turkmen experts not only allowed us to learn from each other, but built trust and established a basis for better participation and regional coordination” she continued.

Turkmenistan joined Codex in 2012 making it the most recent member from the CCEURO region.

Photo © Germany, Anne Beutling