Europese Commissie steunt agricultuur en Europese integratie Georgië (en)

Brussels, 28 August 2012 - In the framework of the Eastern partnership the European Commission has provided new funding to modernise Georgia's agriculture, as well as build up the institutions responsible for preparing its political association and economic integration with the EU i.

The first part of the programme will provide support to Georgia's agriculture sector, with a particular focus on small farmers’ associations. It will help prepare government institutions to respond more effectively to the needs of the rural economy. It will also support private farmers’ associations, strengthen cooperation among farmers, and increase food safety through training and technical advice.

The second part of the programme will promote institutional reform in Georgia and strengthen the state institutions which have the job of preparing and implementing the EU-Georgia Association Agreements and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (a new partnership set up to help liberalise trade in the area). This includes sharing advice and providing support to institutions which coordinate the negotiations, as well as equipping institutions such as the National Food Agency with specialised laboratories to fulfil future obligations under the Agreements; in particular to respect European norms and standards.

Background:

The Annual Action Programme 2012 provides €60 million of bilateral allocation to Georgia. This assistance comes through the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI i). The Annual Action Programme is composed of two components:

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  The European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD Georgia): a programme designed to enhance agricultural production and rural development. It supports the implementation of the national agriculture strategy and strengthens small farmers' associations. It is also important in terms of helping to improve food safety systems within the country, especially in view of a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area.
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  Support for EU-Georgia Agreements: to enhance the overall technical and coordination capacity of a number of core institutions preparing and later implementing the Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. This is part of the Eastern Partnership Comprehensive Institution Building.

The programme reinforces existing activities (i.e twinning, TAIEX - Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument and SIGMA - Support for Improvement in Governance and Management, as well as technical assistance).

For more info:

Download the Annual Action Programme 2012 for Georgia:

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/ap/aap/2012_en.htm

Georgia on DG Development and Cooperation - EuropeAid i website:

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/neighbourhood/country-cooperation/georgia/georgia_en.htm

Delegation of the European Union to Georgia:

http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/georgia/index_en.htm

External relations EU-Georgia:

http://eeas.europa.eu/georgia/index_en.htm

Eastern Partnership:

http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/easternpartnership

Website of Commissioner Stefan Füle i:

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/fule/index_en.htm