ESA Annual Meeting
Dear colleagues,
From October 16th to 18th 2011, ESA European Seed Association will again hold
its Annual Meeting and the European Seed Trade Meeting. For the first time, this
meeting will not take place in Brussels but in one of our Member States - this
time in Budapest, Hungary. With this, we follow a request of many of our Members
and we are convinced that the new location provides excellent opportunities for
you not only to discuss the latest political, scientific and market developments
in plant breeding, seed production and seed marketing but also to specifically
focus on these developments in Central and Eastern Europe where the sector has
undergone fundamental changes over the past decade. We also hope to attract a
strong participation from our membership from these countries: with almost 550
registered participants from Europe, America, Asia and Africa in 2010, our
Annual Meeting provides the opportunity for discussion and networking of the
seed sector in Europe. Last but not least, with the integration of EESNET, the
Eastern European Seed Network, into ESA, the Budapest meeting also demonstrates
our commitment towards our old and new Members from this part of Europe and
beyond. Russia, the Ukraine and other European countries are becoming
increasingly important for plant breeding and agriculture. As organization, ESA
is committed to be the voice of the total seed sector in the wider Europe and we
see this as an important precondition for the continued success of our
association in defending the interests of all of our members.
Clearly, this does not mean that we always are able to reach unanimity in all
our positions and on all subjects. But we do our best to assure that all voices
are heard, that processes are not only effective, efficient and lead to a speedy
adoption of position papers but that they are also open, inclusive and
transparent, both internally as well as in our external communication. While the
ongoing evaluations of the regulatory framework for plants and seed, from seed
marketing to plant health and from IP protection to new breeding techniques,
novel foods and use of plant protection products make it even more important to
assure that we speak with one voice, this may also include that we explain
properly where there are differences between crops, countries or regions. Being
united does not necessarily mean that one set of rules fits all. But it requires
early information and careful communication. Again, I am convinced that taking
these discussions to the Membership, into the countries, will help us to get
even more and better input, to develop a deeper understanding of the different
markets and rules and what our Members expect from ESA.
As in previous years, representatives of ISF, the European Commission, the
EU’s Community Plant Variety Office CPVO, UPOV, FAO and OECD, the International
Seed Testing Association ISTA and other organizations will contribute to our
discussions in crops sections as well as our General Assembly.
It is with great pleasure that I look forward to welcome you for interesting
discussions, for successful trade and for meeting friends and colleagues in
Budapest!
Yours sincerely,
Garlich v. Essen
Secretary General
Official Carrier
