Project activities

The main activities of the project are focused on:
1

Improvement of the pest status knowledge and epidemiological situation as regards relevant Union quarantine pests, in particular the priority pests, in the whole of the Western Balkans:

  • Harmonise the collection of data in each IPA beneficiary party. Identify common models and platforms for collection of surveillance results and pest status data, epidemiological and laboratory data, and for plant pest eradication programmes and contingency plans. Improve the quality of information available; develop a clear scheme for collecting the surveillance/pest status/epidemiological data on the spot and later at a horizontal level to be used during surveys and outbreaks, and a fast way to share the survey results and epidemiological knowledge through all levels of the plant health services. Preferable models and platforms that are able to communicate across the borders to the neighbouring countries.
  • Support the analysis of data and results.
  • Implement and quality check the developed procedure for safe collection and transport of samples to the laboratory.
  • Further develop and maintain the national plant health reference laboratory network in cooperation with the EU Reference Laboratories.
2

Improvement of the regional multi country and international cooperation between plant health services in the Western Balkans in pest outbreak and alert response management:

  • Further develop and quality check the specific national strategies for the pest outbreak and alert response and identify gaps on cooperation both internal and external in the plant health services.
  • Propose initiatives to mitigate those gaps.
  • Establish a general overview of ongoing projects in the IPA Beneficiary parties and set up cooperation where appropriate and possible.
  • Establish a system of transparent communication between the plant health services in the Western Balkans regarding early notification and real-time information on the status of the relevant Union quarantine pests outbreaks. There is a need of a clear chain of communication.
  • Consolidate the recommendations for an enhanced regional multi country cooperation.
  • To plan Workshops for sharing best practices and lessons learnt in the eradication/containment of plant pests between competent authorities in the EU and in the Western Balkan.
  • To run and facilitate simulation exercises to ensure that the legislation is well implemented at all levels of the plant health services. A simulation exercise will include at least 2 neighbouring countries to enhance the cross border communication and coordination.
  • Organise relevant expert missions, dedicated planning meetings on future activities involving local plant health authorities.
  • Maintain achieved links with EU Member States and relevant international organisation like the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and FAO.
3

Supporting the performance of plant health services in the Western Balkans:

  • To review existing legislation in the relevant IPA III Beneficiary parties and suggest recommendations so the existing legislation will conform the EU legislation with a special focus on the new EU Plant Health Regime.
  • Design a strategy for relevant IPA III beneficiaries to implement the future relevant EU legislation concerning plant health.
  • Support the Western Balkan parties in their requests to achieve approval to export certain commodities to the EU.
  • Support the Western Balkan parties in preparing dossiers to become recognised as pest free or EU-equivalent (control measures) by the EU.
  • Identify gaps as regards the required resources, both human and other, the technical capability and the interaction with stakeholders of the plant health services in the relevant IPA III beneficiaries.
  • Propose initiatives to mitigate those gaps.
  • Give support to the preparation and implementation of coherent pest eradication programmes and contingency plans.
  • Introduce to the political level the economic potential by free Intra Union and third country trade by presenting the developed economical overview to visualize how market economy in the IPA beneficiary parties could be influenced by free trade in the Member State, if pest free or pest control equivalence status is achieved.
  • Design and develop a tool to create future simulation exercises at both strategic as well as at practical levels. The tool has to contain following elements: how to target the exercise, design, performance, evaluation and a procedure for implementing lessons learnt.