Historic participation of the IPPC Secretariat in the meeting of the Working Party of the Chief Plant Health Officers COPHS) of the European Union EU)

28 November 2018, Brussels- IPPC Secretary, Mr Jingyuan Xia, delivered a keynote presentation on the Impact of Globalization on Plant Health and IPPC Strategies at the meeting of the Working Party of the Chief Plant Health Officers (COPHS) of the European Union (EU).

In his presentation, Mr Xia emphasized the challenges, benefits and impacts of globalization; the IPPC s strategic direction; and the IPPC s cooperation with the EU. In particular, the IPPC Secretary expressed his great gratitude and appreciation to the EU, its regional organizations, and member countries for their continuous and generous support to the IPPC work programme including:

• IPPC projects that focus on implementing the IPPC, including the Implementation Review and Support System (IRSS) project, which have received support for over 15 years from the EU s DG TRADE, in collaboration with its DG SANTE, for a total budget of nearly USD 8 million;

• the IPPC Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) including project and in-kind contributions from: France for Standards setting; Finland and Ireland for the International year of Plant Health (IYPH); Italy for IPPC meetings; the Netherlands for ePhyto; Sweden for the IPPC workplan; and the United Kingdom for the Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation (PCE);

• close cooperation with the European Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) in organizing the IPPC Annual Regional Workshop for Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (CEECA), and supporting the IPPC s work on Xylella; and

• close cooperation with the International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) ) in organizing the IPPC course for Master Students on Building Phytosanitary Capacity; and supporting the IPPC s work on Xylella.

The Working Party was composed of the Heads of National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs) from each EU Member State and chaired by Mr. Michael Kurzweil, the Head Delegate from Austria holding a six-month presidency. Representatives from the EC s DG TRADE and DG SANTE were also present.

This was the first time that the IPPC Secretariat was invited to present a keynote speech at the COPHS. The IPPC Delegation was composed of Mr Jingyuan Xia (IPPC Secreatry), Mr. Marko Benovic (Budget and Planning Officer) and Mr Tommaso Teti (Project Management Associate). Representatives from FAO s Liaison Office with the European Union and Belgium (FAOLOB) including Mr Rodrigo de Lapuerta (Director) and Ms Veronika Juch (Liaison Officer) were present.

The Working Party expressed their appreciation to the IPPC and the IPPC Secretariat for their achievements, positive contribution and promising strategic direction. The Working Party also showed a real interest in supporting the IPPC work programme, in particular:

• France expressed willingness to provide continuous support to the IPPC work programme, and highlighted the importance of plant pest prevention to protect EU borders;

• Finland focused on the importance of strengthening a real strategic partnership between the EU and IPPC on some key topics;

• The EC highlighted their interest in, and possible support for: IYPH 2020, Commodity and Pathway Standards, Emerging Pests, and the IPPC ePhyto initiative.

The IPPC delegation and FAOLOB were invited to an evening reception event organised by the Austrian presidency where it was possible to have bilateral discussions with other EU countries. In particular, the IPPC Secretariat delegates were introduced to the Romanian delegates as Romania will chair the next Presidency to the Council and the COPHS.