MALTA HOSTS MEETING OF THE MEDITERRANAEN NETWORK ON FRUIT TREE VIRUSES

MALTA HOSTS MEETING OF THE MEDITERRANAEN NETWORK ON FRUIT TREE VIRUSES

The Ministry for Agriculture and Fisheries in collaboration with the International Centre for Higher Agronomic Studies in the Mediterranean (CIHEAM) is holding the first Meeting of the Mediterranean Network on Fruit Tree Viruses in Malta on the 3^rd and 4^th March 2000. Besides Malta, the other European and Mediterranean participating countries will include Albania, Algeria, Cyprus, Greece, Egypt, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Hungary and Poland. The delegates from these countries would be representing Institutions and Ministries for Agriculture in their respective countries.

The Malta venue for this meeting was chosen following the extensive agricultural collaboration between Malta and Italy in the framework of the 4^th Financial Protocol through which specific facilities were established at the Centre of the Plant Health Division, in Lija and at the St. Vincent de Paule Nursery, in Luqa.

The network is being promoted by CIHEAM in the framework of a study instigated by the EU Commission - DG 1 on the "Production and exchange of virus-free plant propagating material in the Mediterranean region".

The Network activities are carried out by the use of specific tools, which include: (i) institutional facilities, (ii) exchange of experts and students; (iii) conduct of research, and (iv) holding of meetings.

The role Malta intends playing is a proactive one in an overall Mediterranean approach to establish itself as a focal point for activities related to these studies. In the field of Agriculture too, Malta intends to strengthen the links between the Euro-Mediterranean countries in the spirit of the 1995 Barcelona Process. In promoting this activity, Malta wants to show its neighbouring countries its recent upgrade in advanced biotechnology facilities on the eve of its accession to the European Community.

The main objective of this Network is to establish a common Mediterranean certification scheme in fruit trees as a start with eventual extension to other sectors. The common certification scheme will be achieved by the harmonisation of scientific detection protocols for quarantine and quality organisms. The Network also aims at proposing scientific research projects to EC-DG1 by the participating countries.