The current project deals with the organisation and implementation of training activities to non-EU participants and is designed to emphasise the strategic importance of mastering all steps and tools required for setting SPS standards as a means to support related activities of the countries benefitting from the training.

The aim is to provide effective tools to staff of competent authorities of non-EU countries involved in International Standard-Setting Bodies activities enabling them to:

– Master ISSB procedures to enable prompt, timely and properly targeted actions supporting national (regional) positions;

– Exploit all steps of standard setting procedures and participation in all regional or thematic committees/working groups to maximise impact of strategies adopted.

The objectives to be pursued and results to be achieved are as follows:

a strengthened technical capacity of country delegates for the respective Codex, OIE and IPPC meetings to contribute to the development of ISSB standards based on science;

a better preparation and more effective participation of country delegates in the ISSB meetings, with a potential to come up with harmonised national and ultimately also regional positions.

Dissemination

The BTSF programme is based on the “train the trainers” approach, and for this reason dissemination of the received knowledge is fundamental for the trainings to have a greater impact.

Participants will be requested to commit themselves to disseminate the information received via different methods, i.e. informing colleagues about the information received at the training, distributing the training materials, preparing informative articles in the professional national or, if possible, in international journals, preparing presentations based on the training materials for the staff of national Competent Authorities or other disseminating methods which could be appropriate to share the information received via the BTSF training. During the course, participants will be provided with a training package to be used as supporting dissemination material.

Main topic to be addressed in the workshops, as clearly outlined in the tender specifications, are:

Introduction to the global dimension of food safety, animal and plant health: overview of international agreements governing food trade and aiming at consumer protection – WTO SPS and TBT Agreements;
Nature and organisation of Codex, OIE and IPPC: statutes, mandate, structure, funds;
ISSB membership: national obligations, responsibilities, challenges;
EU position in ISSB: principles of work and contributions during ISSB sessions;
Understanding of ISSB documentation;
Development of international standards: general principles and setting procedures;
Application of risk analysis in ISSB work;
Terms of reference, agenda items within ISSB committees/commissions until the plenary/general session;
Developing national and regional positions and written comments, participation in electronic working groups;
Sharing of experience on Standards harmonisation and equivalence;
Practical Exercises: preparation of national/regional positions and mock general session.

COURSES, LOCATIONS AND ALLOCATION OF SEATS
Five 3-days training workshops are included in the programme and the training sessions (including theoretical and practical trainings, as well as interactive learning sessions) will be exclusively addressed to non-EU countries and, precisely, to staff of competent authorities.

The total number of participants will be approximately 200 globally of which the estimated number of supported participants will be approximately 135 globally. In principle 2 participants per non-EU selected country should be invited to each workshop up to a total of 25-30 participants, with an additional 10-15 participants invited from the hosting country.

PARTECIPANT SELECTION
Participants shall represent staff of competent authorities of non-EU Countries involved in International Standard-Setting Bodies activities selected through governmental offices of these countries to be identified as contact points (CP) by OPERA consortium.

It should be clear from their background and professional skills that the participation in the training activity will be a key element for the improvement of participants’ daily work.

In addition, the participants from the competent authorities will be requested to commit themselves to disseminate the knowledge received via different dissemination methods i.e. informing colleagues about the information received at the training, distributing the training materials among their colleagues, preparing informative articles in the professional national or, if possible, in international journals, preparing presentations based on the training materials for the obligatory national Competent authorities’ professional trainings or other disseminating methods which could be appropriate to share the information received via the BTSF trainings.