It is necessary to represent it professionally and linguistically
The Greek Ambassador to Spain, Mr. Fotopoulos, visited the headquarters of the International Olive Council in Madrid months ago. During this meeting, he met and discussed with the new Executive Director of the Spanish Council, Mr. Jaime Lillo, various issues and mainly the issue of official representation of Greece in the administrative structure of the Council, emphasizing the position that our country holds in the world production of olive oil and table olives .
For his part, Mr. Lillo and his colleagues acknowledged the prominent role of Greece in the global olive-growing landscape and referred to the close and frequent collaboration maintained by the Council with institutions and experts of Greece in the context of programs and events organized in Greece and mainly in Crete, among which the events with SEDIK were important.
Finally, regarding the upcoming priorities of the Council, Mr. Lillo referred mainly to a plan to extend and disseminate technical specifications of the Council to third countries, including China, as well as to the reformation and adjustment of the data of today’s environmental challenges with the long periods of drought
Necessary diplomas to represent Greece
The action of our Ambassador is good and correct. However, because the issue of our country’s absence from a global organization that deals exclusively with olive oil, the production of which still ranks 3rd in the world, is quite serious and has many and varied ramifications. And it becomes even more serious when in this organization Tunisia and Turkey are almost always represented in leading positions of its administration and operation! Do they have more knowledge, experience or even greater or better quality production than Greece?
As we are informed, the deputy director responsible for research, standardization and promotion of olive oil will be the Tunisian Abderraouf Laajimi, while the deputy director responsible for administration and finance will be the Turkish Imdat Pekdemir, former expert of the Prime Minister
Therefore, our political leadership would do well to make representations to the EU, which is the main financial supporter of the Council, claiming not only our representation in the Organization’s services, but also in the issue of the exclusion of the Greek language from its official languages it is today English, French, Spanish, Italian and also Arabic!
But after the recent dramatic falls in European production, it is a very serious matter to be present in the drafting of the Council’s new strategy for the balance of global production and consumption.
*Nikos Michelakis, is Dr. Agronomist, former Director of the Chania Olive Institute and Expert. Consultant of SEDIK. His articles express personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SEDIK. They can only be republished with his permission ([email protected]
