Announcement: Representatives of EU and Montenegrin Government to lay foundation stone for Veterinary Laboratory in Podgorica

Representatives of the European Union and the Government of Montenegro will lay the foundation stone for the Veterinary Laboratory in Podgorica, on Tuesday, December 9th 2003. A visit to the Bio-Technical Institute, situated in close proximity to the Laboratory, is scheduled for that occasion. The Institute has been provided with modern phytosanitary equipment.

The ceremony will be attended by Minister of Agriculture Milutin Simovic, Head of the European Commission Delegation to Serbia-Montenegro, Ambassador Geoffrey Barrett, and the deputy head of the Podgorica Office of the European Agency for Reconstruction Neil Boland.

Through the European Agency for Reconstruction, the European Union earmarked 1.5 million for projects supporting the reform of veterinary and phytosanitary service in Montenegro. In addition to the construction of the laboratory and equipment supply, the EU assistance programme provides expert support to the Ministry in the reorganisation and modernisation of veterinary and phytosanitary services throughout Montenegro.