Ladies and Gentlemen

Dear colleagues,

I have the pleasant mission to be the messenger of EUROPAM – the European Association of Plant Growers - who tries and succeed for many years to influence the European Parliament law and regulation regarding MAP and to improve the content of Pharmacopoeia Europea. The last (and difficult – but important) aim of EUROPAM is to harmonise the legislation and to introduce the European standards in the enlarged European Community.

Participating this year at the General Assembly of EUROPAM – that held in France, at the end of July, it was a good opportunity to understand better how the West look to the East, how the developed countries see the developing ones.

What it was very clearly expressed by all the participants, is the interests of EUROPAM to attend new members and to collaborate in the future with all country members of the Union as well as with the candidate countries. It was assumed that the enlarged Europe will change the strategies, politics and priorities, also in the field of MAP, where it is necessarily a cooperation, not only in the area of science, research and education, but also in production and processing activities, because there are new and better opportunities for business development.

The main conclusion was that SEE countries have to become – sooner or later – partners of the European Union countries. It seems now is the best moment to start to be in touch and to work together.

In the name of EUROPAM and his President, Sir James Lambe, I invite you to join the big family of MAP growers - as soon as a national network of producers is set up – and to put together our experience, knowledge and efforts for a better future.

I thank to the.comanisers for the opportunity to be here and I congratulate them – as well as all participants – for this successful and un.comettable meeting!

Tatiana Onisei, PhD

Head of Research Department

ROPAM, Romania

Nitra, 8 September, 2004