The failure to harmonise Romanian legislation with European regulations is the main problem affecting local gastronomy outlets (PGLs), according to the Ivan Patzaichin-Mila 23 Association (IP-M23), which will submit a memorandum outlining proposed legislative improvements to national authorities following discussions held on Wednesday in the Danube Delta village of Mila 23.

Food safety specialist Stefania Dumitru, a consultant for the IP-M23 association, told AGERPRES that Romanian legislation governing the operation of local gastronomy outlets is outdated and interpreted differently by individual regulatory authorities.

'Romania has a major problem, and that is the failure to harmonise European legislation with Romanian legislation. Unfortunately, we are working with regulations that are older than my son. We are required to comply with a Ministry of Health order dating back to 1998, which takes a prescriptive approach that is completely at odds with the risk-based approach of European Regulation 852, under which the entire food industry operates,' Stefania Dumitru said.

She stressed that the legislation governing local gastronomy outlets in Romania lacks implementing rules.

'In fact, we are governed by a single authority, the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA). The PGL project and the way the good practice guide we developed was published were promoted at local level and negotiated in 2017 by ANSVSA representatives. A law was subsequently adopted. Unfortunately, the law is just one page long and still has no implementing rules. The biggest problem is that each county sanitary veterinary and food safety directorate interprets it differently, and every inspector conducting an inspection or authorisation procedure has a different interpretation. We hope to find a way to engage in an open dialogue with the authority so that inspection and authorisation procedures can be adapted. Moreover, in each area, given that we are talking about local gastronomy outlets, many of which are located in protected areas, the regulations governing those protected areas also come into play, along with the rules of the Ministry of Finance, and we have moved away from the original purpose. We wanted these outlets to contribute to local budgets, so that local authorities would have an interest in bringing them together, promoting them and building a community. That has not happened. All these problems will be resolved when our legislation is harmonised and an ANSVSA order is reviewed thoroughly and taken to the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance, because that is where everything comes to a halt, as the money goes to the central budget,' the IP-M23 association consultant added.

During the workshop, Stefania Dumitru also revisited several situations in which Romanian authorities had imposed penalties during inspections, highlighting what she considered their absurdity, including requirements concerning the washing and storage of eggs.

The memorandum signed by representatives of local gastronomy outlets who attended Wednesday's meeting at the Community Innovation Centre within the Ivan Patzaichin Museum in Mila 23, Danube Delta, will be submitted to ANSVSA, the Ministry of Agriculture and its subordinate authorities, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Environment and the National Mountain Area Agency.

It aims to encourage local gastronomy through short supply chains for local gastronomy outlets, artisanal products and small-scale preserves, as well as harmonised inspections, while ensuring full compliance with food safety requirements.

The problems outlined in the memorandum were confirmed by participants in the workshop entitled 'Developing local gastronomic products: from recipe to promotion', during which speakers recalled Dobrogea's status as an official candidate for the title of European Region of Gastronomy in 2029, as well as the significant opportunity currently available to Romania's rural tourism sector in the present economic climate.

'The problem is that we do not receive much support either. Perhaps legislative changes are happening far too quickly, and we cannot establish a sense of normality. Legislation should be a little more stable so that we can make plans for the future,' said Nicolae Florin Iftimie, from Galati County, who owns a local gastronomy outlet in Macin Mountains National Park, Tulcea County.

To address some of the challenges specific to the Danube Delta, participants held an online discussion with the governor of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve, Florin Staneata, who said he had begun talks with the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture. The aim is to extend to the Delta the model used by the agency, which operates under the Ministry of Agriculture, allowing fish caught within the reserve to be landed directly at local gastronomy outlets.

'We are in the process of reassessing fishing legislation in the Danube Delta. We are trying to correct and bring into line with normal practice certain aspects that, unfortunately, have so far remained completely unregulated. We have received several complaints from fishermen who operate such local gastronomy outlets, and we want to make the legislative framework more flexible. The question is how far we can go in making it more flexible,' Governor Florin Staneata, who heads an institution under the Ministry of Environment, said during the meeting.

The workshop dedicated to local gastronomy outlets in Mila 23 was held in a room developed as part of an IP-M23 association project supported by the Orange Foundation. Through its design and facilities, the space brings together traditional heritage, education, ecotourism, research and technology, while tourists were visiting the Ivan Patzaichin Museum.

'It is a very interesting idea, considering that it is unlike other museums and, first of all, was built differently. It also has an interesting theme, encouraging young people to take up sport, in my opinion,' said Dani, from Bistrita, at the end of his visit.

Teodor Frolu, vice-president and founding member of the IP-M23 association, explained that the workshop was organised in Ivan Patzaichin's native village because the idea of gastronomic tourism had been promoted by the multiple Olympic champion as early as 2013. Two years later, he began promoting fishing tourism.

At the association's insistence, ANSVSA adopted an order concerning local gastronomy outlets in 2017. It was not until 2023 that a law regulating their activity was adopted, introducing new categories such as authorised local producers, fishermen and hunters.

'Local gastronomy outlets originated here, and a better framework is needed. Ivan Patzaichin always asked what purpose an objective should serve in order to bear his name. The honorary title of 'heritage guardian' awarded to local gastronomy outlets is, in fact, part of Ivan's legacy, just as the memorial on the waterfront in Tulcea is a public space that has become a symbol of the city. This honorary title actually recognises a successful approach adopted by those who have highlighted the distinctive character of their local area, and applications for the title are still open,' Teodor Frolu said.

In fact, some local gastronomy outlets were established not out of financial necessity, but following personal encounters and experiences that highlighted the importance of healthy ingredients in everyday meals, as well as the value of a community built around shared principles.

'Several years ago, I came to Tulcea with my daughter and went into Ivan's restaurant. He was there. I had a soup that was unlike anything I knew from my mother - a fish soup. I enjoyed it enormously, and somehow, as we sat at the table, Patzaichin was making certain points indirectly, addressing households in the Delta. That was when the seed was planted. It grew over time. In 2017, I bought a property in Saligny commune and decided to establish a local gastronomy outlet. We are the third in Constanta County. Today's [Wednesday's] meeting helped me understand that people are still fighting to preserve this tradition of putting healthy food on the table, and they are encountering various obstacles that are not very clearly defined,' local gastronomy outlet owner Mirela Mogila said at the end of the meeting. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Luisiana Bigea; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)