Objective: Dissemination of information on the Enlargement process and the impact of accession on the farmers and other entrepreneurs involved in agro-food business in the New Member States (NMS) and in Candidate Countries (CC).

The priority of our project centres on three main issues:

• the private sector all along the production line, from farming to packaging and retailing, can design good practices for sanitary and food safety
• society's expectation about the way land interacts with the environment, the way the animals are kept and food is produced are changing and therefore a dialogue with civil society shall be preserved to explain that economic interests, quality of products and environment can be preserved together,
• to develop contacts with political decision makers, producers and industrialists in order to contribute to the modernisation of the NMS and CC food processes but also to convey the reactions of local stakeholders facing the implementation of the "acquis communautaire".

Means: organisation of three conferences with representatives from the Commission, the producers from NMS and CC, industrial groups from agri-business and food and feed sectors as well as representatives from the public and green NGOs. Local political decision makers are also invited.

European Conference: 26/27 April 2005 in Brussels and twinning with the presentation of an environmental prize to an industrial group (ELO Water & Wetlands award) by MEP EBNER (see invitations); for 150 persons.

New Member States Conference: 24/25 October 2005 in Warsaw with the visit of a practical case (lWarsaw Agriculture and Food Products Wholesale Market Bronisze Joint Stock Company) and a gala dinner with a keynote speaker, Peter Wynne-Davies from ABE - Agriculture and Biotechnology in Europe.

The conference is organised jointly with Gide Nouel Loyrette Poland. The venue is the Polish Office of the Committee for European Integration, and is under the auspices of Secretary of the Committee for European Integration.

Candidate Countries Conference: 4/5 November 2005, with hands-on visits to a fruit and vegetable market and a biotechnology research laboratory, and a gala dinner in Sofia. The conference is organised jointly with Gide Nouel Loyrette Belgium.

Dissemination of information: At least one representative of the farm producers of every New Member States is present at each conference, from all the farming activities: beef, dairy, cereals etc...

The media coverage is arranged in touch with our local members and partners. ELO also disseminates information through its own means of communication: Internet, Countryside magazine (5 languages to MEPs, Commission officials, producers)

The programme is partly supported by the EU (PHARE programme) and minutes of the conferences will be sent to the Commission.