Norway sees Ukraine as a strategic partner in food area

Ukraine is a serious player in the European food market, so today it is crucial for the country to master European standards in food security. This was discussed during a meeting between Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Volodymyr Groysman and Minister for European Economic Area and EU Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway Vidar Helgesen.

The participants agreed that in December the government expert from Norway would arrive to Ukraine to demonstrate to the new Ukrainian government the Norwegian experience in the implementation of reforms and modernization of public administration, and in January Ukrainian officials would travel to Norway to consolidate the obtained knowledge and acquire a better understanding of the reforming process. The exchange of experience will concern several areas, in particular veterinary and food security.

"10 years ago Norway carried up a reform of the authority responsible for food safety, and we assume that our example is probably the best in the EU. Therefore, I would like to invite a head of the corresponding Ukrainian structure and share this experience, as Ukraine can be a very important player in the food chamber," said the Norwegian Minister.

In turn, Volodymyr Groysman noted that the proposal by the Norwegian side is viewed timely, as nowadays Ukraine is engaged into upgrading of regulatory bodies, namely in the field of food safety.

"We have recently decided to reconstruct a system of regulatory authorities, including in the areas of food safety and sanitary control, and now we going to establish a new structure that will assume the functions that were previously scattered among various government agencies. The study of the experience of Norway is of great significance for us," stressed Volodymyr Groysman.

As was reported yesterday, the governments of the Kingdom of Norway and Ukraine signed an Agreement to support the state budget of Ukraine worth over USD 15 million, as well as a number of other cooperation deals, in particular, in nuclear and radiation safety, trade, entrepreneurship and economics.