EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety to visit Svalbard

The Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis visits Longyearbyen, Svalbard next week with two Norwegian Ministers. This will be the Commissioner's first visit to Norway and the first time a EU Commissioner visits Svalbard. 

During their visit to Svalbard, the Norwegian Ministers and the EU Commissioner will deposit seeds from the Crop Research Institute in the Chzech Republic at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. An emergency exercise at sea from the Sysselmannen's service vessel Polarsyssel, information about Northern Norway emergency preparedness and a visit at the Longyearbyen Hospital with demonstrations of telemedicine is also part of the programme. Furthermore, they will have several meetings with scientists and researchers from the University Center in Svalbard (UNIS), The Norwegian Polar Institute, The Norwegian Research Council, The Svalbard Science Centre. The Ministers and Commissioner will also visit the recently established Private Clinical Veterinary Service, and Svalsat (Kongsberg Satelite Services.) and the Svalbard Museum. 

During the visit, there will be political discussions on several issues concerning health and food safety. 

Press contacts:

For Minister of Agriculture and Food ms Sylvi Listhaug:
Mr Lars Joakim Hanssen, mobile phone +47 901 14 233 and
Ms Astraea Antal, mobile phone +47 934 31 930.

For Minister of Health and Care Services mr Bent Høie:
Ms Alexandra Reksten Tufteland, mobile phone +47 986 35 115.

For EU Commissoner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis P. Andruikaitis:
Ms. Vilja Sysaite, mobile phone  +32 460 794 012.