European Day of Healthy Food marked at the Office for European Affairs

In order to mark the European Day of Healthy Food, the Office for European Affairs has organized a meeting with relevant institutions active in this field. Apart from the Institute for Food Technology, National Association “Serbia Organica”, Association “Terras”, the participants were also representatives of organic producers association and local farmers. Some European solutions to rural policy were presented.

“Out of the European Union’s total budget, which ‘weighs’ about €130 billion, more than 35% is aimed, directly or indirectly, at rural policy and agricultural producers. Since the whole country, thus the Province of Vojvodina too, has significant potential in this area, the strategic goal is to improve all resources in order to support rural development and food producers.

In some EU documents, for instance, food is defined as a strategic resource, in the ranks of oil and water. Therefore, it is necessary for us to use the European support in order to strengthen the internal market and encourage our own development. Within the EU’s pre-accession assistance to our country, the key is the date when we become a candidate country for EU accession, because then it will be possible to create projects in rural development, to be financed through the EU. For that reason, we are starting a new cycle of developing initiatives and designing projects in this field together with representatives of relevant province institutions“, said Predrag Novikov, Director of the Office for European Affairs.