Agreement between the Ministry of Rural Development and Food of the Hellenic Republic and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) of the People’s Republic of China for Cooperation on Quality, Hygiene and Safety of Agricultural Products and Food.

The two Parties, whishing to proceed with the exchange of information and knowledge regarding the certification systems of quality and inspections carried out in order to ensure the quality, hygiene and safety of agricultural products and of food, based on mutual understanding and trust, have reached this Agreement. The aim of the Agreement is to provide basic arrangements between the Parties for the exchange of information and knowledge and for cooperation in the field of mutual recognition of the systems of production and quality certification and of the methods of control and certification of the hygiene and safety of agricultural products and food transported between Greece and China. Cooperation in the framework of the present Agreement shall include the development of plans of action in the following sectors: 1) exchange of information, knowledge and data concerning the management and operation of the systems of certification of the production of farming products and food; 2) exchange of information, knowledge and data concerning the programs of preventive and repressive inspections and of the quarantine provisions of transported agricultural products and food; 3) exchange of technical expertise in the development of specifications and models for the production of products of a certified quality in order to ensure the mutual recognition of the validity of the certificates, trademarks and guarantees provided; 4) exchange of technical expertise, information and data concerning the systems of supervision, control and certification including also the demands related to the cross-border promotion of agricultural products and food, the inspection programmes and the applicable quarantine provisions; 5) design and implementation of joint programs of inspections in order to secure the observation of the demands for quality, hygiene and safety of imports-exports of farming products and food of the Parties. The Parties shall also establish a Greek-Chinese Joint Committee which will decide in common about the plans of action mentioned above. The Joint Committee will proceed with a review of the topics related to such plans of action and other topics of joint interest.