CCGP33 / participation and transparency keys to success

Oct 1, 2023

Jean-Luc Angot, General Inspector of Veterinary Public Health at the French Ministry for Agriculture and Food, will guide the work of the committee that deals with all procedural and general matters, for the third time this year. He will preside over the next session in October 2023 where CCGP will discuss several items, from the Procedural Manual to the rules of procedure on sessions of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

Just before the meeting met, the Codex Secretariat sat down with Jean-Luc for an interview.

Jean Luc, thank you for your time. After the COVID-19 pandemic, from 2 to 6 October 2023, delegates will meet again in person for a CCGP meeting. What opportunities do you see in this return to a physical session?

I am delighted to meet the delegates and get to know the new delegates. A physical meeting allows for more interactions and friendly moments and this is particularly important when it comes to working on methods and procedures.

Many delegates will be attending CCGP for the first time. Can you tell us more about the Committee and its tasks?

The Codex Committee on General Principles is one of the Codex Committees of cross-cutting nature. It is responsible for establishing the rules for the development and adoption of Codex texts: it is in a way the guardian of Codex texts, including the Procedural Manual. CCGP is also expected to propose the necessary changes to Codex procedures, and to ensure participatory, transparent and inclusive working methods.
The world is changing, and Codex must know how to evolve its procedures and its functioning accordingly. For example, CCGP was the first Codex Committee to be held virtually: it happened in 2021, due to the Covid-19 crisis, and that was a successful session that served as a model for other Codex Committees.

What about the agenda of CCGP33?

We have several items to discuss: the new format and possible update of the Procedural Manual, the evolution of the rules of procedure for the sessions of the Commission and the possible modifications of the principles concerning the participation of international non-governmental organizations in Codex. There will also be side events on the monitoring of the use and impact of standards, the future work of Codex, and the 60th anniversary of Codex, to which I wish a very happy birthday!

One final question. What advice would you give to delegates attending CCGP?

I invite everyone to attend the meeting and participate in constructive way. I will be very happy to welcome you to the magnificent and historic city of Bordeaux. I look forward to seeing you soon. Merci!