EU praises Ukraine’s progress in food safety

Ukraine has completed bilateral screening meetings with the European Commission on Chapter 12 of the EU accession negotiations, titled 'Food Safety, Veterinary and Phytosanitary Policy'.

The Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture reported on the outcome, CE Report quotes Ukrinform.

The Ukrainian delegation was led by Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka and included representatives from the Ministry of Economy, the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, the Ministry of Health, and members of the Ukrainian parliament.

“The Ukrainian team successfully completed the five-day screening for Chapter 12. We presented our vision for further implementation of European standards in the areas of food safety, veterinary, and phytosanitary regulations. This is not only about aligning legislation with EU norms but also about strengthening the position of our products on the European market,” Kachka said.

The Ministry of Economy noted that Chapter 12 is one of the most complex in the negotiation process, involving alignment with over 2,000 EU legal acts.

During the week, Ukraine presented the state of legislative adaptation in food safety, veterinary, and phytosanitary policy to EU standards.

The discussions covered animal health and welfare, official controls for products of animal origin, and biosecurity. Special attention was also given to human nutrition, food processing technologies, pesticides, plant health, GMOs, and related topics.

During the discussions, Ukrainian representatives provided detailed explanations on legislative implementation, administrative structures, official control systems, monitoring systems, statistical data, and practical measures in each thematic block.

The European Commission positively assessed the materials presented and noted the systematic and sustainable nature of reforms in this area.

Previously, the Ukrainian delegation also completed screening meetings in Brussels with the European Commission on Chapter 11, 'Agriculture and Rural Development'.