Kiev, Ukraine
February 26, 2009
Source: Alexander Golikov,
Black Sea Biotechnology Association
(BSBA)
The Black Sea Biotechnology
Association web site is now available at
www.bsba.ag and will serve as
an information-sharing and awareness-raising tool for the
biotech in the region.
The site is available in English, Bulgarian, Romanian, Russian,
Turkish and Ukrainian.
It provides the most updated and
validated information on GMO related regulations and approval in
the region as well as elaboration on risk assessment of GM
crops.
The Black Sea Biotechnology Association was established in June
2004 as international public non-profit organization with the
aims to:
- create within the Black
Sea region, a network of countries with historically similar
agricultural needs, priorities and often practices, science
based regulations that not only protect the public health
and the regional environment, but also stimulate economic
development, international trade, modern agricultural
practices, modern food and feed production industry,
east/west collaborations and the advancement of regional
varieties;
- increase the region's
contribution to and participation in the global debate
regarding agricultural biotechnology;
- avoid regulatory and trade
practices for Ag Biotech that lead to unnecessary and/or
unjustified barriers that encumber commerce and ultimately
disadvantage the region;
- build a system of mutual
recognition of regulatory and safety data for agricultural
products improved through biotechnology;
- build regional human and
organizational (including information sharing) capacity to
understand and responsibly employ Ag biotechnology;
- contribute to public
perception of biotechnology by setting facts against
factoids;
- launch the regional
Biotechnology Information Center which will work in
cooperation with other information networks and serve in
real time mode as the regional Ag-Biotech clearing house;
- launch the annual Black
Sea Region Biotech Forum. At the Forum, regulatory, economic
development and trade related issues of Ag biotechnology
will be discussed and solutions proposed for the countries
surrounding the Black Sea region in areas of technology,
seed and commodities;
- serve as local consultancy
node on safety and regulatory matters;
- BSBA has members
presenting Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey,
Ukraine, Belgium, China, Netherlands, Switzerland, UK, and
USA, and is governed by the Board of Directors in
consultations with the Board of Trustees.
The organization is open for new
members who share its views and wish to contribute to reaching
the goals |
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