15/04/2010

From right to left: Ana Troncoso González, Executive Director of AESAN; Miguel Antonio de Lima, President of ARFA; Manuel J. Villavieja, Spanish Ambassador to Cape Verde and Berta Hernández Fierro, Director General for Public Health in Castilla-La Mancha.

From 11-13 April, the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN), along with the Department of Health and Social Welfare of the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha, made a visit to Cape Verde.

During the visit a Collaboration Agreement was signed between ARFA (the Pharmaceutical and Food Product Regulation Agency of Cape Verde), AESAN and the Department of Health and Social Welfare of the Government of Castilla-La Mancha.

The three institutions hope to collaborate in the future in the implementation of measures and actions necessary for mutual technical cooperation and in the carrying out of mutually beneficial projects. AESAN and the Department of Health and Social Welfare of Castilla-La Mancha will offer technical support to ARFA personnel, developing training programmes in the areas of food safety, assessment, risk management and communication, official control (control and monitoring), company and product certification, etc.

The signing of the Collaboration Agreement took place on the morning of 13 April, with Ana Troncoso González (Executive Director) representing AESAN, Berta Hernándes Fierro (Director General of Public Health) representing the Department of Health and Social Welfare of the Government of Castilla-La Mancha, and Miguel Antonio de Lima (President) representing ARFA.

Also present at the signing were the Spanish Ambassador, Manuel J. Villavieja, General Coordinator of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), representatives from the European Commission Delegations, the FAO and the WHO, along with representatives from various national and international agencies.

ARFA, which was recently set up, has a special arrangement with the European Union which recognises a number of common interests with regard to safety and development, and which is working towards a convergence of policies in technical and regulatory matters. This is the first in a series of technical actions, financed by the AECID, and in which AESAN will collaborate in the training of ARFA personnel.

During their stay in the country, the Spanish delegation took the opportunity to visit Spanish businesses, such as the premises of the FRESCOMAR, S.A. group, which has a strong presence in the fish conservation sector.