Tbilisi: The Georgian Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment, Nino Tandilashvili, attended the 8th meeting of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Subcommittee created within the framework of the Association Agreement with the European Union.
 The 8th meeting of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Subcommittee created within the framework of the Association Agreement with the EU was held at the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture. The participants of the meeting discussed the issues of fulfilling the obligations under the agreement.
 “I am glad to host you in Georgia, Ministry of Environment and Agriculture. It is important for us to speak to the EU delegation about the progress the country has made under the Association Agreement and also the challenges we hope for your support. It is important for us to have a positive evaluation of Georgia’s willingness to join the EU.
 I hope, with united efforts and close cooperation, we will be able to achieve candidate status, which will further increase the opportunity for our citizens to access the EU market, along with other virtues, said Deputy Minister of Environment and Agriculture Nino Tandilashvili.
 The Deputy Minister thanked the representatives of the EU delegation for their help and stressed the importance of the status of the European perspective given to Georgia.
“Georgia has vision, ambition and appropriate plan to obtain candidate status. Georgia and the European Commission are connected by successful cooperation. We are ready to continue the close partnership,” said Cohen van Dyk, head of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) subcommittee.
 At the meeting, the discussion touched on the issues of food safety, laboratory, phytosanitary and sanitary issues.
During the meeting, Nino Tandilashvili and the head of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) subcommittee signed the Association’s updated 11b appendix.
 It is noteworthy that the updated appendix is a list of EU legal acts, which Georgia should bring legislation closer.
The meeting was attended by members of the European Union delegation, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Revenue Service, as well as the heads of the National Food Agency and State Laboratory and representatives of the relevant service of the Ministry.
