Brussels, 5 March 2024
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EU Plant Health Emergency Team to assist with prevention of outbreaks
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Shorter period for programmes of risk-based surveys for presence of pests
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Declaration of compliance with rules for regulated non-quarantine pests in phytosanitary certificates
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The use of an electronic phytosanitary certificate
On Tuesday evening, negotiators from the Parliament and Council reached a provisional political agreement on the reform of Regulation on protective measures against pests of plants.
Co-legislators agreed that a Union Plant Health Emergency Team will assist Member States, or third countries bordering the EU, upon their request, with measures preventing outbreaks of Union quarantine pests and pests that may fulfil the conditions for quarantine pests. The Team will be composed of experts appointed by the Commission and nominated by member states.
Another change to the law agreed by the Parliament and the Council is the obligation for EU countries to establish new multiannual programmes for risk-based surveys that ensure timely detection of dangerous pests every five to ten years and review and update the programmes based on the phytosanitary situation of the territory concerned.
Importers to the EU will be obliged to declare in a phytosanitary certificate which measures they have taken to ensure compliance with rules for the quarantine of pest not only for Union quarantine pests but also for regulated non-quarantine pests, according to the agreed reform.
To simplify the procedures, MEPs, led by the rapporteur Clara Aguilera (S&D, ES), insisted on better use of the electronic system for the submission of notifications and reports by the member states and agreed that before a plant passport is issued, the movement of a plant, plant product or other object concerned can be accompanied by an electronic phytosanitary certificate contained in the system or by a certified copy of the original phytosanitary certificate.
Next steps
The agreed text will now have to be formally approved by the European Parliament and the Council before it is published in the Official Journal to become a binding law.
Background
The Plant Health Law sets out rules to protect the EU against the entry and spread of new pests of plants (“Union quarantine pests”) and fight against pests already present in the EU (“regulated non-quarantine pests”). On 17 October 2023, the Commission submitted a revision of the rules in order to make them more effective and easier to apply.
Further information
Plant health law: EU Council background on how to simplify and strengthen current rules
Today, the Council presidency and European Parliament representatives reached a provisional agreement on a targeted revision of regulation (EU) 2016/2031, also known as the plant health law. This revision aims to improve and streamline the regulation’s application and enforcement.
This targeted improvement of our existing plant health rules will ensure we continue to be well-equipped to face phytosanitary threats, while simplifying the enforcement of our rules. This in turn will cut red tape and reduce the administrative burden for operators and national authorities alike.
David Clarinval, Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Self-Employed, SMEs and Agriculture, Institutional Reforms and Democratic Renewal
Main elements of the provisional agreement
The provisionally agreed text reflects the overall goals of the Commission’s proposal. More specifically, the revised regulation aims to:
- improve procedures for identifying and listing high-risk plants, and for submitting and examining requests for temporary derogations from import obligations coming from non-EU countries
- clarify measures for pests that qualify as quarantine pests, but which have not yet been fully assessed
- rationalise and simplify reporting obligations, thanks to increased digitalisation; this will help cut red tape for the competent authorities, as well as for operators
Plant health emergency team
The two co-legislators further improved the Commission’s proposal by providing for the creation of a Union plant health emergency team.
The team would be made up of experts appointed by the Commission, based on proposals from member states. These experts would have different specialities in the field of plant health and would be able to assist in the event of new outbreaks of pests in the EU.
Additionally, they could provide bordering third countries with urgent assistance and expertise in the case of outbreaks that could affect the EU, if this is requested by one or more member states.
Multiannual survey programmes
In order to streamline reporting obligations, the co-legislators agreed to increase the duration of multiannual survey programmes, which would now have to be established for a period of five to ten years, instead of the current period of five to seven years. This will help reduce the administrative burden for the competent authorities.
To ensure the timely detection of pests, these programmes are to be reviewed and updated depending on the phytosanitary situation.
Plant passports
According to the provisionally agreed text, the Commission can decide via implementing acts which plants, plant products or other objects can travel without a plant passport physically attached to them because, for instance, of their size or their shape, which would make the attachment impossible or very difficult. These plants or plant products would instead have the plant passport associated with them in a way other than that of a physical attachment.
This change to the current rules is based on the experience gained so far by operators in the implementation of the plant health law.
Next steps
The provisional agreement will now have to be endorsed by the Council and the Parliament. It will then be formally adopted by both institutions following legal-linguistic revision.
Background
Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 is currently the basic legal framework for the EU’s plant health policy. It aims to prevent the entry and spread of new plant pests (so-called ‘Union quarantine pests’) and fight against pests already present in the EU (‘regulated non-quarantine pests’). It entered into application on 14 December 2019.
During the interinstitutional negotiations for the current revision, the European Parliament was represented by rapporteur Clara Aguilera (S&D, ES).
EU Commission welcomes political agreement on Plant Health Law