MEETING BETWEEN MINISTER SAROVIC AND MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT OF REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA FRANC BOGOVIC IN GORNJA RADGONA

24.8.2012 – Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relation of BiH Mirko Sarovic, at the invitation of the Minister of Agriculture and the Environment of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr. Franc Bogovic, attended the opening ceremony of the 50th International Fair of Agriculture and Food AGRA, held in Gornja Radgona.  AGRA is the biggest fair of agriculture and food industry in Slovenia - this year's jubilee fair was opened by the President of Slovenia, Mr. Danilo Türk.

Minister Sarovic and Minister Bogovic, in a bilateral meeting held on 24^th August, 2012 discussed ways to improve cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Slovenia in the field of agriculture, veterinary medicine and phytosanitation.

They also discussed the activities that have already started, and relate to the cooperation between the Veterinary Office of BiH and the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which are aimed at providing support to authorized veterinary laboratories in terms of validation of methods for residues in foodstuffs of animal origin.

It is intended that the Slovenian experts organize and carry out a FVO monitoring simulation of the facilities (dairy) for export of products of animal origin, and prepare and carry out training of inspectors to carry out these controls.

When it comes to phytosanitation, the emphasis in the talks between the two ministers was on improvement and further development of information systems in the field.

Minister Sarovic said that for Bosnia and Herzegovina it would be very important to have support of the Republic of Slovenia in preparing a review of legislation in the area of agriculture, including an assessment of the degree of compliance with EU legislation.

Given that Slovenia has extensive experience in the organization of cooperatives, in the preceding period, as well as now being a member of the EU, and that at this time a representative of Slovenia chairs the European Co-operative Association, it was noted that cooperation between the two countries in the field of cooperatives is highly desirable in order to improve agriculture, i.e., the co-operative sector as one of the potential carriers of agricultural and rural development.