The COLEACP-PIP team was present at a European Parliament reception to present and discuss the programme objectives and plans.

This reception, organised under the patronage of MEP Paolo De Castro, brought together the main representative joint-trade organisations of European agriculture under the header: "A competitive European agriculture – Working together to provide nutritious & affordable food".

At the request of the ACP Group of States and as a result of an ad hoc procedure very efficiently conducted within Aidco (European Commission), the contract between the EC and COLEACP for the implementation of the PIP 2 was signed on Monday, the 12th of October 2009.

The PIP programme, extended to cover new topics (food safety, environment, ethical production and fair trade), has therefore been re-launched without interruption for the next 5 years.

For the second time, COLEACP is participating in the European Development Days (EDD) – the European forum for decision-makers and practitioners in development cooperation, which will take place in Stockholm between 22 and 24 October.

COLEACP is a not-for-profit professional association established in 1973 to promote and enhance the horticultural trade between ACP and EU countries. Its membership includes European importers as well as exporters from some 30 ACP countries

On 2 September the European Commission and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States signed the Finance Agreement for the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Programme, which includes PIP2, for the sum of 32.5 million euros over 5 years.

The final step is to agree the terms of the grant contract between COLEACP and the EC. AIDCO services are working in close cooperation with the COLEACP-PIP team to complete the procedures required to sign the contract before the end of the PIP Transition period on 12 October 2009.

• First All-Africa Horticultural Congress

PIP participated at the First All Africa Horticultural Congress, which took place from 31st August to 3rd September 2009 in Nairobi. The event was backed by the International Society of Horticultural Science (ISHS) and Global Horticultural Initiative (GHI). The full programme of presentations can be seen at: http://www.globalhort.org/media/uploads/File/AAHC/AAHC_Final_Program(2).pdf.