The CCEURO Region - Regional Coordinator Germany
In 1964, at its second session, the Codex Alimentarius Commission established the Coordinating Committee for Europe to succeed the 'European Council of the Codex Alimentarius' and to replace the 'Advisory Group for Europe' set up at its first session in 1963.
The first meeting of the Coordinating Committee for Europe took place in July 1965 in Berne, Switzerland and was attended by 16 countries from the region.
The current coordinator, Germany, is based in the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL).
Germany’s main priorities as coordinator are to:
- reduce barriers to active participation of Members of the region in Codex work;
- increase the awareness of the role of Codex and food safety in general in the transition towards sustainable food systems; and
- promote the use of Codex standards in priority areas such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
In addressing these priorities, the coordinator will use synergies from international and regional level activities of the Codex Secretariat, FAO and WHO as well as Codex Observers.
News from the region
Danish food solutions to heighten global food quality and safety
Denmark are planning World Food Safety Day activites on and around June 7 with a focus on Danish food solutions to heighten global food quality and safety.
Denmark will also hold a webinar on June 8 for Danish exporting food companies where a panel including Esben Egede, Executive Director, Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, Søren Tinggaard, Vice President, Pork Export Strategy & Marketing, Danish Crown and Lise Walbom, CEO, Food Nation will explore how to use quality and food safety as [...]
27 May 2020
Czech Republic plans a series of World Food Safety Day publishing activities
Here are the planned activites for World Food Safety Day in the Czech Republic.
26 May 2020
The Ministry of Agriculture - Food Safety Department will publish a short article containing WFSD original key messages on www.bezpecnostpotravin.cz with refence to FAO and WHO activities; and promo materials on social media - Facebook, Twitter (following EFSA activities when key messages and promo materials (images) will be rolled out on social media in a pre-phase starting on 25 May 2020).
2 June 2020
The Ministry of [...]
25 May 2020
Codex Euro Region responds to the challenge of cancelled meetings
If you review the history of Codex committees since 1963 there are occasional gaps in the meeting schedule and most of these in the early years of Codex as the programme gradually developed and expanded. Some committees do not meet every year and so the average number of sessions through the 1970s, 80s, 90s and up to the present day has grown from less than 10 in any calendar year up to 20 in 2019.
What then to make of the [...]
13 May 2020
EFSA / communication and common ground key to working together
A team from the FAO Food Safety and Quality Unit together with representatives from the Codex Secretariat and the FAO Nutrition Department travelled to Parma, Italy today to meet with the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA). The meeting was an opportunity to find common ground and share insights on a range of issues including scientific opinions, risk communication and possibilities for cooperation on major campaigns such as World Food Safety Day and the International Year of Plant Health.
Bernhard Url, Executive [...]
28 January 2020
EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed / 40 years of keeping consumers safe
The European Union (EU) is celebrating the 40 years of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed.
Food safety is an issue of national and international significance, an issue that affects all countries and has a substantial impact on both public health and economic activity. Operating since 1979, RASFF is one of the great success stories of the EU’s integrated approach to food safety, showing the power of communication and collaboration. By providing a system for the swift exchange of [...]
15 January 2020
New trade opportunities pose new challenges for CCEURO region
Vice-minister of Health, Kazakhstan, Ms L. Aktayeva (main picture) welcomed delegates to the thirty-first session of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Europe. "I am confident that active participation of delegates in this meeting will make a significant contribution to solving various issues in the field of food safety, which will strengthen health of people and nations", she said. Drawing on the impetus of the Sustainable Development Goals Aktayeva said, “Codex standards are directly related to food safety and fair practices [...]
30 September 2019
Largest Codex region gears up to tackle priority food safety challenges in Almaty, Kazakhstan
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 [...]
29 September 2019
"Safety is an illusion without certainty" - Attila Nagy chairs CCMAS
As the Codex Committee on Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CCMAS) begins in Budapest, we spoke to Attila Nagy who takes over as Chairperson at this session. A veterinarian and microbiologist, in November 2018 Attila was appointed Director of the newly established Food Chain Safety Laboratory Directorate in Hungary.
Attila, thanks for your time. You were born just two years after Hungary started hosting CCMAS. What, in your view, are the three major changes in analytical methods that have taken place [...]
27 May 2019
Coordinator for Europe in Armenia and Moldova to promote participation in Codex
A delegation led by the Codex Alimentarius Regional Coordinator for Europe, Nailya Karsybekova, visited the Republic of Armenia from 29 to 30 April and the Republic of Moldova on May 2 and 3, to enhance participation of these countries in Codex. During the mission, meetings were held at the Ministries of Agriculture, Ministries of Health, the Inspection Bodies for Food Safety, and at the FAO and WHO Country Offices.
"The visits to Armenia and Moldova provided an opportunity to meet top-level [...]
16 May 2019
Kazakhstan pushes to enhance regional potential
The Codex European region comprises 52 countries with widely diverse economic, historic and climatic backgrounds as well as differing levels of experience in engaging with Codex. Many countries in the region joined Codex in the early 1960s at the birth of the Codex Alimentarius and some, especially from the East European region only became members since 2000. One of these is Kazakhstan, a Codex member since 2003, now leads the region as Regional Coordinator.
From 4 to 8 February 2019 a [...]
01 March 2019
Video Message
CCEURO Coordinator
All information on Codex is public and free.
For regional enquiries contact:
CCEURO Secretariat
German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
Wilhelmstrasse 54, 10117 Berlin, Germany
Tel: +49 30 18 529 4065
Email: [email protected]