COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGUL ATION (EU) 2020/714 
of 28 May 2020 
amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/466 as regards the use of electronic documenta tion 
for the perfor mance of official controls and other official activities and the period of application of 
temporar y measures 
(Text with EEA relevance) 
THE EUR OPEAN COMMISSION, 
Havi ng regar d to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, 
Havi ng regard to Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on official 
controls and other official activities perf ormed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and 
welf are, plant health and plant protection products, amending Regulations (EC) No 999/2001, (EC) No 396/2005, (EC) 
No 1069/2009, (EC) No 1107/2009, (EU) No 1151/2012, (EU) No 652/2014, (EU) 2016/429 and (EU) 2016/2031 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council, Council Regulations (EC) No 1/2005 and (EC) No 1099/2009 and Council 
Directives 98/58/EC, 1999/74/EC, 2007/43/EC, 2008/119/EC and 2008/120/EC, and repealing Regulations (EC) 
No 854/2004 and (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council, Council Directives 89/608/EEC, 
89/662/EEC, 90/425/EEC, 91/496/EEC, 96/23/EC, 96/93/EC and 97/78/EC and Council Decision 92/438/EEC (Offici al 
Controls Regulation) (1), and in particular Article 141(1) thereof, 
Whereas: 
(1) Regulation (EU) 2017/625 lays down rules for, inter alia, the performance of official controls and of other official 
activities by the compet ent author ities of Member States. It also empo wers the Commission to adop t, by means of 
an implementing act, appropr iate temporar y measures necessar y to contain risks to human, animal and plant 
health and animal welf are, if it has evidence of a serious disruption in a Member State’s control system. 
(2) In order to address the specifi c circumstances due to the ongoing crisis related to coronavi rus disease (CO VID-19), 
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/466 (2) allows Member State s to apply temporar y measures in 
relation to official controls and other offici al activities. That Implementing Regulation allows for official controls 
and other official activities on official certificates and official attestations to be perf ormed on an electronic copy of 
such certificates or attestations, subject to certain conditions. 
(3) In order to ensure smooth trade, it should be clarified that official controls and other official activities may be 
performe d on a copy of the original certificates or attes tations, which has been provided by certain electronic 
means. In addition, it should be clarified that the obligation to provide the original of those documents as soon as 
technically feasible does not apply where official controls and other official activities are performed based on 
electronic data produced and submitte d in the Trade Control and Exper t System (TRA CES). 
(4) Some Member States have informed the Commission and the other Member State s that the serious disrupti ons in the 
functioning of their control syste ms in view of the crisis linked to COVID-19 and the difficulties to perform official 
controls and other official activities will persist beyond 1 June 2020. In order to address these serious disrupti ons 
and facilitate the planning and the perf ormance of official controls and other official activities during the crisis 
linked to COVID-19, the period of application of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/466 should be prolonged 
until 1 August 2020. 
(5) Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/466 should theref ore be amended according ly. 
(6) The measures provid ed for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committ ee on 
Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, 
(1)OJ L 95, 7.4.2017, p. 1. 
(2)Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/466 of 30 March 2020 on temporar y measures to contain risks to human, animal 
and plant health and animal welf are during certain serious disruptions of Member States’ control systems due to coronavir us disease 
(CO VID-19) (OJ L 98, 31.3.2020, p. 30). EN Offi cial Jour nal of the European Union L 167/6                                                                                                                                           29.5.2020   HAS ADOPTED THIS REGUL ATION: 
Article 1 
Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/466 is amended as follo ws: 
(1) Article 4 is replaced by the followi ng: 
‘Article 4 
1. Official controls and other official activities on official certificates and official attes tations may excep tionally be 
perf ormed: 
(a) on a copy of the original of such certificates or attestations, that is made available electronically , provided the 
person responsible for presenting the official certificate or official attestation presents to the compet ent author ity 
a state ment affirming that the original of the official certificate or official attestation will be submitted as soon as 
technically feasible; or 
(b) on electronic data from such certificates or attestations, where such data has been produced and submitted by the 
compet ent author ity in TRA CES. 
2. When performing official controls and other official activities refer red to in paragraph 1 of this Article, the 
compet ent author ity shall take into account the risk of non-com pliance of animals and goods concer ned and 
operat ors’ past record as regards the outcome of official controls performed on them and their compl iance with the 
rules refer red to in Article 1(2) of Regulation (EU) 2017/625.’; 
(2) in Article 6, the second paragraph is replaced by the followi ng: 
‘It shall apply until 1 August 2020’. 
Article 2 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European 
Union. 
It shall apply from 2 June 2020. 
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. 
Done at Brussels, 28 May 2020.  
For the Commission 
The President 
Ursula VON DER LEYEN     EN Offi cial Jour nal of the European Union 29.5.2020                                                                                                                                           L 167/7