The CARDS 2004 Twinning project “Further Strengthening Capacities in the Field of Plant Protection Products,” worth 700,000 euros, was ceremoniously closed today after 18 months of implementation.
This new project continues the activities initiated under the CARDS 2002 Twinning project ‘Strengthening Capacities in the Field of Agriculture, Livestock, and Food Products’ aimed at supporting Croatia in the process of joining the European Union. The main objectives of the program were, as emphasized by the interlocutors, to align Croatian legislation with the acquis communautaire of the European Union and to achieve progress in the regulation and use of plant protection products to preserve human health, natural resources, and protect nature. Additionally, the fundamental components of the core objectives include regulations on determining the maximum residue levels of pesticides in food, developing new procedures for the registration of plant protection products, and ensuring compliance with the monitoring program of the same.
The program has been significantly improved in all segments, and the most extensive part of the work, aligning Croatian laws with European ones, has been successfully completed. Furthermore, significant progress is also visible in the evaluation of existing procedures related to the registration of plant protection products and the monitoring program in accordance with Union standards and existing information systems.
One of the first state instruments to start using Twinning as the most successful instrument of pre-accession assistance from the European Union is the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Rural Development. Together with its European partner, the UK Pesticide Safety Directorate, they played the role of the competent authority responsible for implementing European requirements.
