Chamber of Foreign Commerce and the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations organized today in Sarajevo a round table on the topic “Possibilites of exporting of milk and dairy products in year 2013 – results of BiH-Croatia agreement.”
Participants of the round table were informed about the details of the agreement concerning the sales of milk and dairy products from Bosnia to Croatia in year 2013 which has been recently achieved in the name of BiH by Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations Mirko Sarovic and in the name of Croatia by the Minister of Agriculture Tihomir Jakovina.
It was concluded that is in terms of export of milk and dairy products Croatia is a very important market for BiH.
In this year, exports from BiH to Croatia were approximately 37.4 million BAM, representing 52.7 percent of total exports of these products.
It was pointed out on Croatian efforts, in the process of its accession to the EU on 1st January 2013 , to ban the import of all products of animal origin that are not produced in compliance with EU standards, and thus milk and dairy products from the CEFT A in order to make itself enough time for the final preparations for their entry into the EU on 1 July 2013.
However, at the recent meetings ,ministers from BiH and Croatia have agreed to postpone the deadline until 30 June year 2013 in order to give additionl time for producers and processing industries in BiH to adjust production to European standards.
Authorities of BiH have brought the appropriate legislative framework, so that important activities in the future will be carried out by competent ministries from RS and BiH and especially by the inspection bodies.
In the future, it is necessary for companies and farmers to work rapidly to adjust production to prescribed standards.
The positive aspect is that the National Institute for Accreditation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BATA), by signing the bilateral agreement, was admitted to membership of the European accreditation bodies.
That means that the laboratories in BiH that are accredited by BATA will be able to issue valid export certificates recognized by the countries of the European Union.
