The Agency for Restructuring
and Modernisation of Agriculture (ARMA)

Representatives of the Agricultural and Rural Development Support Institution (ARDSI) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey visited Warsaw on 21 of July 2023. The visit was another opportunity to meet experts from this country aspiring to join the European Union with specialists from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture.

The delegation, led by the Deputy President of ARDSI Cihan Karahan and the Director Ozge Tekin, representing the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, had the opportunity to listen to the speech of the Deputy Director of the Department of the Common Agricultural Policy in the Ministry of Agriculture Paweł Ściański on the role of the managing authority and the paying agency in the implementation of the Rural Development Programme. Joanna Gierulska, Deputy President of ARMA, told the participants about the structure, functions and tasks of the Polish paying agency. Also of interest were the presentations prepared by other experts from the Agency – Director of the Department of Reference Databases and Field Controls Stanisław Sas and Deputy Director of the Investment Activities Department Jerzy Bogdanowicz. The speakers shared their knowledge and experience and willingly answered the questions asked by the guests.

Turkey has had the status of an EU candidate country since 2005. The beginnings of cooperation with ARMA date back to 2015 – then the first visit of delegations from this country to Warsaw took place, and a cooperation agreement was signed in Ankara, regarding the process of expanding structures and improving activities in the agricultural sector and rural development. In 2019, as part of an expert mission, Polish specialists conducted a week-long series of lectures for ARDSI employees.