The First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Nino Tandilashvili, opened the conference, which embraced representatives of EU candidate countries. 

In her opening remarks, Mrs. Nino Tandilashvili addressed the fulfilment of obligations taken by Georgia under the Association Agreement with the European Union and the process of adopting EU standards and regulations in the agriculture sector of Georgia.

“It is important to mention that today when our country awaits the EU candidate status and we are actively implementing reforms towards agricultural and rural development areas, the European Union and the European Commission are organizing a such-scale conference in Georgia. The conference is crucial in terms of its content on the path to integration with Europe and for discussing the issues we face today in agriculture and rural development in implementing the commitments made with the European Union”, - said Nino Tandilashvili.

The current event aims to deepen cooperation between participant countries and parties in developing and implementing sustainable food systems.

“Georgia wants to become a member of the European Union, which means we have a close connection and cooperation in several areas. We see significant progress in the food safety and animal welfare fields. Regarding sustainable food systems, we are currently investigating and tackling this as a new challenge in the backdrop of climate change. Today’s event aims to exchange our visions, knowled