Plant health law: EU adopts improved rules to protect against plant pests

On 18 November 2024, the Council has adopted a targeted revision of the EU plant health law, which improves the way the EU fights plant pests, ensures that the plants that enter the EU are safe, and simplifies procedures.

"This regulation will ensure a continued high level of plant health protection throughout the EU and protect us from phytosanitary threats. The revision also cuts red tape and streamlines the existing rules, which will benefit national authorities, as well as operators in the sector."

István Nagy, Hungarian Minister for Agriculture

Main elements

One of the ways in which the revision improves the existing framework and better protects the health of plants is through the creation of a Union plant health emergency team. The team will be made up of experts specialised in plant health who can provide assistance in the event of new outbreaks of pests in the EU. The team can also provide neighbouring non-EU countries with urgent assistance and expertise in the case of outbreaks, with a view to preventing harmful plant pests from entering the EU.

Furthermore, the revised regulation reduces the administrative burden for competent authorities by increasing the duration of their multiannual survey programmes. These will now cover a period of five to ten years, instead of the current five to seven years. To ensure the timely detection of pests, these programmes are reviewed and updated when necessary, in order to respond efficiently to the phytosanitary situation.

Increased digitalisation will also cut red tape for operators and national authorities alike.

Next steps

The formal adoption marks the final step in the ordinary legislative procedure.

The regulation will now be signed and published in the Official Journal of the EU. It will enter into force on the 20th day following its publication.

Background

The plant health law (regulation 2016/2031) is 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 protect against pests already present in the EU ('regulated non-quarantine pests'). It entered into application on 14 December 2019.

The Commission submitted its proposal for revising the existing rules on 17 October 2023, taking into account the experience gained by operators in the implementation of the plant health law.

The two co‑legislators, the Council and the European Parliament, reached an agreement on the final wording of the revised regulation on 5 March 2024.

Plant health law (adopted text) 

Plant health law: Council and Parliament strike deal to simplify and strengthen current rules (press release, 5 March 2024)

Commission proposal