On March 10, 2021, the Second Steering Committee of the EU-funded Twinning project dealing with animal health, animal welfare and animal by-product management was held in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The current circumstances regarding the situation with Covid19 did not prevent the team of Austrian, French and Croatian experts from meeting with their colleagues in Bosnia and Herzegovina and discussing the results of the first work plan of the project. In this first phase, the project team carried out extensive work to diagnose the existing regulatory and strategic texts in the country in order to lay foundations for further promotion of Bosnia and Herzegovina in this sector.

The conclusions of the various "gap analyses" carried out will be shared with the relevant authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the second working period of the project, in order to enable proper planning of subsequent activities. The project "EU support for capacity building and gradual alignment with EU standards in the veterinary sector of Bosnia and Herzegovina" is funded by the European Union in the amount of EUR 3 million. It is implemented by the Austrian-led consortium with its partners from France and Croatia. The administration of the beneficiary country is represented by the Veterinary Office of BIH in cooperation with the competent authorities of the entities and Brcko district of BIH. It consists of three components: Animal Health, Animal Welfare and Animal By-Products Management. It provides for alignment with EU standards and further capacity building in these areas. The project will last four years (2020-2024).