G/SPS/N/EU/694  
16 November 2023  
(23-7741) Page: 1/3 
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):  Plants, plant products and other objects (HS Chapters: 06 (live 
plants), 07 (vegetables), 08 (fruits), 10 (cereals), 12 (see ds), 14 (pollen), 44 (wood), 84 
(machinery), 87 (vehicles))  
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:  Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament 
and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament and 
of the Council as regards multiannual survey programmes, notifications concerning the 
presence of regulated non -quaran tine pests, temporary derogations from import 
prohibitions and special import requirements and establishment of procedures for granting 
them, temporary import requirements for high risk plants, plant products and other 
objects, the establishment of procedu res for the listing of high risk plants, the content of 
phytosanitary certificates, the use of plant passports and as regards certain reporting 
requirements for demarcated areas and surveys of pest . Language(s):  English, French 
and Spanish . Number of pages:  13 
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2023/SPS/EEC/23_13474_00_e.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2023/SPS/EEC/23_13474_00_f.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2023/SPS/EEC/23_13474_00_s.pdf  
6. Description of content:  The Commission proposal consists of the targeted amendments 
of the plant health Re gulation: (i) clarification concerning the measures against pests 
which are provisionally qualifying as quarantine pests but have not been fully assessed 
yet, (ii) amendment of the requirements regarding the declarations on the phytosanitary 
certificate fo r regulated non -quarantine pests (RNQPs), (iii) the reporting of non -
compliances with the RNQP rules in the electronic notification system (Information 
Management System for Official Controls – IMSOC), (iv) the introduction of an 
empowerment for a Commissi on act to adopt with autonomous acts, temporary 
derogations from import prohibitions and special import requirements and temporary 
special import requirements for commodities that have been removed from the list of high -
risk plants, plant products and othe r objects but for which the pest risk has not been fully 
assessed, (v) The introduction of an empowerment for a Commission act to adopt 
procedural rules for the submission and examination of third countries' requests for 
temporary derogations from import p rohibitions or from import requirements, (vi) the 
introduction of an empowerment for a Delegated act to adopt procedures for identifying 
and listing of high -risk plants, (vii) the clarification of the legal basis for setting out 
requirements for third coun tries' equivalence, in order to refer not only to internal G/SPS/N/EU/694  
 
- 2 - 
 
  movement, requirements but also to existing import requirements, (viii) the introduction 
of an empowerment for a Commission act, to rationalise the obligation to attach a plant 
passport to certain plants, (ix) the alignment of the possibility to accept alternative official 
attestations issued by third countries with the international state of play, (x) rationalisation 
of certain reporting obligations  
7. Objective and rationale: [  ] food safety, [  ] animal health, [X]  plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  ] 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) :  
[X] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) :  
− ISPM 12 Guidelines for phytosanitary certificates  
− ISPM 13 Guidelines for the notification of non -compliance and emergency 
action  
− ISPM 20 Guidelines for a phytosanitary import regulatory system  
− ISPM 24 Guidelines for the determination and recognition of equivalence of 
phytosanitary measures  
[ ] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[X] Yes   [  ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
internation al standard:   
9. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:    
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : June 2024  
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : To be determined.  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [  ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) : This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following its 
publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. The provision on additional 
declaration for RNQPs shall apply six month s from the date of publication.  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [X]  Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 15 January 2024  
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 A4 -Multilateral International Relations  
Rue Froissart 101  
B-1049 Brussels  
Tel: +(32 2) 29 54263  
E-mail: sps@ec.europa.eu  G/SPS/N/EU/694  
 
- 3 - 
 
  13. Text(s) available from: [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 A4 -Multilateral International Relations  
Rue Froissart 101  
B-1049 Brussels  
Tel: +(32 2) 29 54263  
E-mail: sps@ec.europa.eu