CGIAR Dialogue with New Member States of European Union

CGIAR Dialogue with New Member States of European Union
"Agriculture in Change" was the theme of a dialogue held with representatives of ten new member states of the European Union (EU) in Paris in June. Hosted by the Government of France, the dialogue provided a forum for new EU members to discuss their perspectives on agricultural research and hear from the CGIAR the Group's agenda, priorities, and modus operandi.

Representatives of new members states of the EU at the dialogue "Agriculture in Change" hosted by the Government of France.

Denis Despreaux, Secretary General of CRAI, and Adviser, Ministry of National Education and Research; Alain Derevier, Adviser, Directorate General of International Cooperation in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Christian Hoste, French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) welcomed the participants from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovenia. In addition, representatives of the Eastern and Central European states who are candidates for the second phase of enlargement in 2007+ also attended the briefing.

Of particular interest were presentations by delegates of Hungary, Poland, and Slovenia summarizing the ARD situation in the new EU member states. CGIAR representatives included Kanayo Nwanze (on behalf of Center Directors Committee), Jozef Turok (IPGRI), and Francisco Reifschneider (CGIAR), and their presentations focused on European partnerships, impacts of CGIAR Center research, and State of CGIAR.

The meeting was instrumental in generating interest in the research activities of the CGIAR Centers and strengthening the EU-CGIAR partnership. Follow-up activities are being planned for the next international conference "European Responses to Changing Global Needs," scheduled for April 27-29, 2005 in Zurich, Switzerland.

For more information on next year's conference, click here.