The institutions promoting the candidacy of Barcelona to host the European Food Safety Agency have held a new presentation, within the framework of the European food and beverage exhibition Alimentaria 2002 (4-8 March 2002), in order to show once again their full and wide support to this initiative.

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The conference was chaired by Josep Lluís Bonet, President of the Committee of Alimentaria 2002. Other speakers included: Maravillas Rojo, city councillor for economic promotion, employment, trade and tourism; Agustí Roqué, general secretary of the Catalan Association of the Food & Beverage Industry (AIABECA) and Casimir de Dalmau, executive director of Patronat Català Pro Europa, entity responsible for the coordination and promotion of Barcelona’s candidacy.


Bonet highlighted that Barcelona will go on fighting in order to achieve the seat of the EFSA: “We will continue to try and meet this goal since all agents involved direct or indirectly with the food safety field want to have this agency in Barcelona. We fulfil all the requisites to host this European Agency. Alimentaria 2002 is a case in point showing that Barcelona IS the world food capital”.


Rojo meanwhile pointed out that Barcelona can offer ideal surroundings to host the EFSA and that, technically and objectively speaking, the Catalan candidacy is incomparable to any other candidacy. Apart from Barcelona, Helsinki, Parma and Lille have presented a candidacy.


Barcelona put forward its candidacy in April 2000. Ever since, an ongoing promotional campaign has been developed, including a tour to all national administrations of the EU member states as well as official presentations in Brussels before all EU institutions, with the presence of Spanish foreign affairs and agriculture ministers.

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Due to the lack of agreement on the seat of the EFSA in the European Summit held in Laeken (Belgium, December 2001), the EFSA shall be temporarily established in Brussels. Nowadays the procedures for selecting and appointing a Management Board and Executive Director have already been launched.


A decision on the final seat of the EFSA is foreseen in the European Summit held in Seville (Spain, June 2002).

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