G/SPS/N/EU/354  
 
15 October 2019  
(19-6665) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member:  EUROPEAN UNION  
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  European Commission, Health and Food Safety Directorate -
General  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, 
where applicable):  Food of animal or igin and composite products, live animals, plants 
and plants products, animal by -products  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:   
5. Title of the notified document:  Draft Commission Delegated Regulation supplementing 
Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards 
certain categories of animals and goods exempted from official controls at border control 
posts, sp ecific controls on passengers' personal luggage and on small consignments of 
goods sent to natural persons which are not intended to be placed on the market and 
amending Regulation (EU) No 142/2011 (Text with EEA relevance) . Language(s):  
English . Number of pages:  21 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/SPS/EEC/19_5646_00_e.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/SPS/EEC/19_5646_01_e.pdf  
6. Description of content:  Certain animals and goods - based on the risk they pose to 
human, animal and plant health, animal welfare and the environment - must be sub ject 
to official controls at European Union (EU) borders, more specifically at the border control 
post of first arrival, before they can enter the Union. Those official controls are performed 
to ensure that consignments of animals and goods comply with the  relevant import 
requirements and will consist of 100% documentary checks, whilst identity and physical 
checks will be performed at a frequency based on risk.  
The Official Controls Regulation (EU) 2017/625 empowers the Commission to establish, 
by means of delegated acts, the cases and conditions under which certain categories of 
animals and goods can be exempted from checks at border control post. In order not to 
undermine health protection, welfare and the environment, the exemptions will reflect 
the (low)  risk associated with those animals and goods and will be subject to specific 
conditions and to specific controls. The Official Controls Regulation also empowers the 
Commission to adopt rules for the performance of specific controls. Such rules are 
establi shed for passengers' personal luggage, small consignments of goods not intended 
to be placed on the market and pet animals entering the Union as part of a 
non-commercial movement.  G/SPS/N/EU/354  
 
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  7. Objective and rationale: [X]  food safety, [X]  animal health, [X]  plant p rotection, 
[X] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [X]  protect territory 
from other damage from pests.   
8. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) :  
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) :  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) :  
[X] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[ ] Yes   [  ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:   
9. Other relevant documents and lan guage(s) in which these are available:    
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : December 2019  
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : December 2019  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [  ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : Twenty  days after publication in the Official Journal of the 
European Union.  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [  ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : Forty days from the date of circul ation of this 
notification.  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [X]  National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address 
(if available) of other body:   
European Commission  
DG Health and Food Safety, Unit D2 -Multilateral International Relations  
Rue Froissart 101  
B-1049 Brussels  
Tel: +(32 2) 29 54263  
Fax: +(32 2) 29 98090  
E-mail: sps@ec.europa.eu  
13. Text(s) available from: [X]  National Notification Authority, [X]  National Enquiry 
Point. Addres s, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
European Commission  
DG Health and Food Safety, Unit D2 -Multilateral International Relations  
Rue Froissart 101  
B-1049 Brussels  
Tel: +(32 2) 29 54263  
Fax: +(32 2) 29 98090  
E-mail: sps@ec.europa.eu