PROJECT INCEPTION WORKSHOP

Nitra, Slovakia, 17-18 February 2001

The Project Inception Workshop held in Nitra, Slovakia, on 17 and 18 February 2001 was attended by 25 representatives of all Project Partners (Austria, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia) and EAAP as the Project Leader. The meeting was chaired by Prof. Jean Boyazoglu (Project co-ordinator) and serviced by Ms. Valérie Vigne and Dr. Milan Zjalic (EAAP).

Representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture of Slovakia welcomed participants on behave of the authorities of the host country. The host partner presented the cattle production sector in the country and activities of breeders’ associations. The exhibition of posters on profiles and activities of Project Partners as well the presentation of professional journals and publications of Partners was organised during the workshop.

The Workshop reviewed the Project Document, established the Plan of Action for the next phase of the Operation implementation, nominated the Project Steering Committee, agreed on the evaluation procedure and carried out a matching exercise of demands of CEE partners and offers by EU Partners.

In reviewing the Project Document, the Project partners underlined the timeliness of the Operation in the light of the on-going restructuring of the institutional framework of cattle production in CEEC and recent problems of the cattle sector in Europe. The national and international workshops and training courses proposed are supporting national programmes (e.g. transfer of livestock services from the government to breeders’ associations in Poland, Slovakia "trade", Slovenia identification) as well as the existing bilateral and multilateral EU – CEEC projects.

The following Work Programme was agreed for national workshops:

February 2001:	Slovenia (27 February) inception workshop (activity 1.2)
March 2001:	Slovenia (19 March) training course on cattle identification and registration (activity 2.3). Estonia – inception workshop (activity 1.2).
April 2001:	Hungary – inception workshop (activity 1.2) and training course on organisation and functions of breeders’ associations, relations with governmental institutions (activity 2.1). Lithuania (9-13 April) - inception workshop activity (1.2) and training course on organisation and activities of breeders’ associations in support of the transfer of livestock production services from the state to breeders’ associations (activity 2.1). Slovenia – training course on organisation and activities of breeders’ associations (activity 2.1).
May 2001:	Poland - inception workshop (activity 1.2) and training course on organisation and activities of breeders’ associations (activity 2.1). Slovakia - inception workshop (activity 1.2) and training course on organisation and activities of breeders’ associations (activity 2.1) and trade. Czech Republic - inception workshop (activity 1.2) and training course on organisation and activities of breeders’ associations (activity 2.1), in co-operation with Slovakia and Poland.
June 2001:	Romania - inception workshop (activity 1.2) and training course on marketing of cattle (activity 2.2) and on organisation and activities of breeders’ associations (activity 2.1).
April – June 2001:	Estonia - training course on organisation and activities of breeders’ associations. (activity 2.1). Hungary – marketing of cattle and on the role of the state and co-operatives (activity 2.2).
June – October 2001:	Romania – identification (activity 2.3), data processing and breeding classification.
The exact date and place of each national workshop will be communicated to the Project Co-ordinator and to EU Partners seconding resource persons and experts in support of national training activities by the first week of March. Other national workshops will be organised in the period July 2001 – September 2002. The international workshops:
September 2001:	The workshop for editors of associations’ journals (3.1.3) will be organised by the Italian Partner in Cremona, Italy. This workshop will be attended also by the information officers of the Project Partners as well as by members of the Project Steering Committee.
November 2001 – January 2002:	The workshop on the financial management of breeders’ associations (3.1.1) will be organised by the German Partner. The programme of the workshop would also cover the review of experiences and results of the national training courses already held (April-October 2001) on the organisation and activities of breeders’ associations and their advance on the road of privatisation
January – June 2002	The Workshop for chief classifiers (3.1.2) will be organised by the Austrian Partner.

The national workshops (2.) are follows.

Internship

The organisation of the internship of young professionals at EU Partners (3.2) will commence immediately after the national inception workshops. It will include the identification of needs for additional practical training by the CEE partners, selection of candidates and their preparation for internship, including language courses, as appropriate. EU Partners will fully interact in the selection of institutions that would receive trainees from CEE and select tutors for each of the trainees.

Secondment of experts

During the Inception Workshop, the EU Partners produced information on fields of expertise and institution available for internship as well as a list of resource persons and experts for support of the national training and other programmes of the CEE Partners (3.4). The selection of experts will be completed through consultations between EU and CEE partners concerned in co-operation with the Project Leader. The case of specific needs for selected expatriate experts to serve on ad hoc basis was brought up by several CEE partners and agreed upon as a major specialised input by the project.

Networking and joint operations

The establishment of the network of professional journals is planned during the workshop for editors in September 2001.

The Project Steering Committee will prepare proposals for the establishment of the European information network on cattle production within the final report of the Operation.

Nomination of the Project Steering Committee (PSC)

Representatives of Project Partners nominated the following persons a members of the Project Steering Committee (PSC):

• Jean Boyazoglu, EAAP, Chairman
• Valerie Vigne, EAAP, Secretary
• J. Lederer, Austria
• J. Kvapilik, Czech Republic
• Niina Haasmaa, Estonia
• F. Schmitt, Germany
• P. Rafai, Hungary
• P.P. Fraddosio, Italy
• A. Svitojus, Lithuania
• A. Cholevicki, Poland
• G. Liciu, Romania
• O. Kadlecik, Slovakia
• F. Habe, Slovenia
• A. Rosati, EAAP/ICAR

PSC will monitor the implementation of the project, undertake a mid-term review and auto-evaluation of project activities and propose necessary changes and adjustments, as appropriate.

The first meeting of the PSC will be held in August 2001 in Budapest, Hungary.

Quality control, reporting and evaluation procedures

Partners agreed on quality control measures within the Project which include participation of members of the Steering Committee in project activities, as appropriate, active participation of the Project Leader and the central management in preparation and implementation of project activities, and the reliance on the EAAP structure – members of Council, chairpersons of Study Commissions and Auditors.

The Partners established the following Working Groups for the evaluation of international workshops:

• Workshop of Editors of Journals:
  E. Potucek (Austria)
  Marija Klopcic (Slovenia)
  A. Svitojus (Lithuania)
• Workshop on Financial Management:
  P.P. Fraddosio (Italy)
  F. Habe (Slovenia)
  G. Liciu (Romania)
• Workshop for Chief Classifiers:
  F. Schmitt (Germany)
  P. Rafai (Hungary)
  O. Kadlecik (Slovakia)
• The Partners informed on the names and addresses of the National Project Co-ordinators. They are:
  E. Potucek (Austria)
  J. Kvapilík (Czech Republic)
  N. Haasmaa (Estonia)
  F. Schmitt (Germany)
  P. Rafai (Hungary)
  P.P. Fraddosio (Italy)
  D. Uchockiene (Lithuania)
  A. Cholewiski (Poland)
  G. Liciu (Romania)
  O. Kadlecik (Slovakia)
  M. Klopcic (Slovenia)
  M. Zjalic (EAAP)
  Valerie. Vigne (EAAP)
  A. Rosati (EAAP/ICAR)