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Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Guests,

As President of the Confederation of the European Food and Drink Industries, I have the honour to open this 2nd European Food Summit.

The participants in this room represent a wide spectrum of the European Food Industry and its main stakeholders. Over two days, with the exquisite level of the speakers, we have the prerequisite to open a broad and fruitful dialogue on issues linked to quality and consumer confidence. I would like to invite you to an active participation.

The last edition of the Summit took place in 1998 in Paris and an intermediate Food Congress, sponsored by the CIAA, in November 2000, in these premises.

Glancing through the addresses and speeches of these two important past events, I could recognise the headway made over the past few years by all parties concerned by food safety. The shock waves from BSE, Dioxin, Foot and Mouth, affecting profoundly consumer awareness and behaviour, had sharpened dramatically the consciousness of all parties involved in the food chain to the urgent need to correct weaknesses in the existing system. An important effort has been accomplished since. This Summit will bring evidence of that.

The political dimension of the Food Safety issue empowered the European Commission, especially through its members in charge of Health and Consumer issues and of Agriculture, to speed up the finalisation of the General Principles and Requirements of Food Law and the establishing of the Food Safety Authority. These important legislative acts passed Parliament following an intense debate to which CIAA contributed actively. Quite frankly, I do not think that without the experience of the Food Safety issues in the last few years, member states would have been willing to accept such a far-reaching legislative act. The new Food Law definitely brings a set of clearer rules governing this industry's activities. We will have the pleasure to welcome Commissioners David Byrne and Franz Fischler tomorrow morning to elaborate on the new rules of the game but we will already today enter deeply into the debate.

The key lesson of the last years was certainly the growing awareness that the food processing and marketing is a closely inter-dependent activity, so strong or so weak as the weakest element in the whole chain. Feed production, agriculture, first and second transformation, retailing and last but not least consumer behaviour, all participate to safe and wholesome Food on the Fork. Neither agriculture, industry or retail alone can solve the problem of food safety. We are all closely connected, and we are destined to the closest team-working.

Our speakers will represent various facets of the food chain. They will share with us their insight and their progress and what has been accomplished. I am confident that the spot-lighting of the multiple aspects and opportunities for continuous quality improvement leading to a confident consumer, will be inspiring and a helpful guideline in your daily responsibilities to guarantee a high quality standard and satisfy the consumer in his demand for safe, nutritious and tasty food.

This Summit has been prepared by the CIAA, under the leadership of Raymond Destin, Director General. I would like to thank him and his Team for the preparation which included the change of venue of the Summit. But most of all I have to thank everybody here in this hall who have accepted to be our guests for two days. The success of the Summit will also depend on your active participation and the personal contacts you will be able to make during these two days.

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