CLDP convened in Sofia, Bulgaria the eighth and final regional meeting for the members of the Southeast Europe Food Safety, Animal Health, and Plant Health working groups. This workshop was conducted with the expert advice of officials from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The purpose of these meetings is to advance trade liberalization through enhanced communication, cooperation, and coordination amongst the region's customs agencies. Through these regional meetings, CLDP has worked to encourage and assist the development of the working groups towards the achievement of their integral role in the improved coordination of SPS measures in the region, thereby progressing in the removal of non-tariff barriers to trade and investment, constituted by divergent and inefficient SPS measures.