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Brussels, |
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Trade in plants & plant products from non-EU countries
The EU’s policy on trade in plants and plant products from non-EU countries is designed to prevent harmful plant pests from entering the Union through imports. Its core principle is that certain plants, plant products and other objects may enter the EU only if they comply with the EU plant health regime and are accompanied by the necessary official documentation and checks.
The main operational tool is the phytosanitary certificate. For products listed in Annexes XI and XII of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072, the exporting country’s national plant protection authority must certify that the goods have been properly inspected, are free from quarantine pests, comply with rules on regulated non-quarantine pests, and meet the EU’s plant health requirements. Once imported, a plant passport may replace the phytosanitary certificate for certain goods listed in Annexes XIII and XIV of the same regulation. The page also notes that, since 1 January 2021, imports from Great Britain are treated under the same phytosanitary import rules as imports from other non-EU European countries, while Northern Ireland continues to follow internal EU requirements.
The policy includes several exemptions and special regimes, but only where there is no risk of spreading harmful organisms. No phytosanitary certificate is required for five fruits — pineapples, coconuts, durians, bananas and dates. Some commodities are fully prohibited from entry into the EU or into certain protected zones, while others are provisionally banned as high-risk plants and plant products under Regulation (EU) 2018/2019. There are also special rules for material imported for scientific or trial purposes, goods grown in a frontier zone, and products merely transiting through EU territory under Regulation (EU) 2019/2124.
The rules also apply to passengers’ personal luggage. Plants, plant products and other listed objects — including plants for planting, fruits, vegetables and cut flowers — cannot be brought into the EU unless accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate, again with the same limited exemption for the five fruits listed above. This shows that EU plant health policy treats personal movements as a possible biosecurity risk, not just commercial imports.
In addition, the policy is supported by a broader system of plant health checks and border controls. The page links to legislation on reduced frequency checks at import, wood packaging material and dunnage, and official control rules at border control posts, as well as to further operational tools such as the non-EU trade alert list, inspection of imported plants and plant products, and the handling of non-compliance with EU requirements.
Overall, the EU approach is a preventive import-control regime aimed at keeping dangerous pests out while allowing trade to continue under strict phytosanitary safeguards.
The main operational tool is the phytosanitary certificate. For products listed in Annexes XI and XII of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072, the exporting country’s national plant protection authority must certify that the goods have been properly inspected, are free from quarantine pests, comply with rules on regulated non-quarantine pests, and meet the EU’s plant health requirements. Once imported, a plant passport may replace the phytosanitary certificate for certain goods listed in Annexes XIII and XIV of the same regulation. The page also notes that, since 1 January 2021, imports from Great Britain are treated under the same phytosanitary import rules as imports from other non-EU European countries, while Northern Ireland continues to follow internal EU requirements.
The policy includes several exemptions and special regimes, but only where there is no risk of spreading harmful organisms. No phytosanitary certificate is required for five fruits — pineapples, coconuts, durians, bananas and dates. Some commodities are fully prohibited from entry into the EU or into certain protected zones, while others are provisionally banned as high-risk plants and plant products under Regulation (EU) 2018/2019. There are also special rules for material imported for scientific or trial purposes, goods grown in a frontier zone, and products merely transiting through EU territory under Regulation (EU) 2019/2124.
The rules also apply to passengers’ personal luggage. Plants, plant products and other listed objects — including plants for planting, fruits, vegetables and cut flowers — cannot be brought into the EU unless accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate, again with the same limited exemption for the five fruits listed above. This shows that EU plant health policy treats personal movements as a possible biosecurity risk, not just commercial imports.
In addition, the policy is supported by a broader system of plant health checks and border controls. The page links to legislation on reduced frequency checks at import, wood packaging material and dunnage, and official control rules at border control posts, as well as to further operational tools such as the non-EU trade alert list, inspection of imported plants and plant products, and the handling of non-compliance with EU requirements.
Overall, the EU approach is a preventive import-control regime aimed at keeping dangerous pests out while allowing trade to continue under strict phytosanitary safeguards.
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