By adopting a new law on organic production and by-laws with the aim of continuously achieving compliance with EU regulations, Montenegro will be one step closer to closing the negotiation chapter 11, announced the responsible minister, Vladimir Joković.
"In addition to the existing measures, this year we will pay more attention to the promotion and marketing of organic agricultural products. We will work dedicatedly on creating brands and promoting organic products so that they are recognizable on the market, which would also lead to the establishment of a system of sustainable development of organic agriculture in Montenegro. With the accreditation of Measure 4 of the IPARD III program, these activities will be financed from EU funds," said Joković at the event held in Podgorica.
A meeting of the Mediterranean Organic Agriculture Network (MOAN) was held in Podgorica, which also marked the finalization of the project called Frame.Org Montenegro - Harmonization of the regulatory framework for organic food production in Montenegro with Regulation (EU) 2018/848.
That event marks the end of the project, and on the same day an international conference called the International Symposium on Organic Agriculture of the Western Balkans was held, organized by CIHEAM Bari in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Montenegro, MOAN with the technical support of IFOAM Organics Europe.
Starting from the current situation, the draft of the new national law on organic agriculture and the future prospects of the sector in Montenegro, experts from CIHEAM Bari and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry of Italy worked together with officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Montenegro to finalize four regulations on crop and livestock production, import, collection, packaging, transport and storage of organic products in accordance with EU regulation 2018/848.
The conference was attended by Joković, Ambassador of Italy in Montenegro, Andreina Marsela, Deputy Director of CIHEAM Bari, Biagio Di Terlizzi, Director of IFOAM Organics Europe, Eduardo Cuoco, over 20 delegates of MOAN member countries as well as representatives of SWG - Regional Working Group for Rural Development in Southeast Europe.
Joković thanked MOAN experts, TAIEX experts, but also numerous regional and international experts who, through SWG programs, made a significant contribution to activities in the direction of the development of the organic production sector in Montenegro.
"This initiative represents another important step in the direction of cooperation for the development of organic agriculture in the Western Balkans, as well as the long-term commitment of CIHEAM Bari in this area. The results of the project and the lessons learned are also shared within the wider network of MOAN, an active promoter of cooperation and knowledge exchange on organic agriculture among countries, of which Montenegro has been a member since 2006," the announcement states.
The good results of the project should, as it is added, be a model for further cooperation activities that support the development of sustainable agriculture.
The FRAME.ORG project, co-financed by the CEI - Central European Initiative/KEP - Knowledge Exchange Program, supported by the CEI Fund at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) with the contribution of Italy and implemented by CIHEAM Bari, aimed to strengthen the legislative framework for organic agriculture, contributing to the process of harmonization with the EU and thereby improving the capacities of small and medium-sized enterprises for the placement of their organic products on the national and international markets.
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