EU revisions to strengthen plant health law

The EU Council and Parliament reached provisional agreement in early March on a targeted revision of the Plant Health Law, which aims to improve and streamline its application and enforcement.

Regulation (EU) 2016/2031, which entered into application in 2019, is the basic legal framework for the EU's plant health policy, aiming 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').

The amendments to the Plant Health Law will help protect plant health in the EU more effectively, seen as vital for a competitive and sustainable agricultural and horticultural production.

The revision was welcomed by the Commission: "Plant diseases can have a huge impact on our harvests, causing terrible losses for farmers and disrupting our food chain," said Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides: "Recent experiences in fighting the Xylella outbreaks are telling. Today's agreement is another crucial step towards bolstering our defenses against new plant pests entering and spreading within the EU."

The new measures include, for example, increased phytosanitary guarantees and a more transparent procedure for granting temporary derogations from import prohibitions.

The amended rules streamline reporting obligations and cut administrative burden.

The Regulation also establishes a group of technical experts who will provide urgent assistance to Member States confronted with a new plant pest outbreak. The group may also assist third countries in cases of outbreaks that could threaten the EU.

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.