II 
(Non-legislative acts) 
REGUL ATIONS 
COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGUL ATION (EU) 2019/66 
of 16 Januar y 2019 
on rules on unifor m practical arrangements for the perfor mance of official controls on plants, 
plant products and other objects in order to verify compliance with Union rules on protectiv e 
measures against pests of plants applicable to those goods 
THE EUR OPEAN COMMISSION, 
Having regar d to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, 
Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 Marc h 2017 on 
official controls and other official activities performe d to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal 
health and welfa re, plant health and plant prote ction 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 (Off icial Controls Regulation) (1), and in particular Article 22(3) thereof, 
Whereas: 
(1)  Offi cial controls in the premises and, where applicable, in other locations used by profe ssional operat ors 
author ised to issue plant passpor ts in accordance with Article 84(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council (2), should be carried out at least once per year. This is necessar y to 
ensure a regular and consiste nt control cover ing the productive cycles of the relevant plants and also the life 
cycle of all relevant pests and their vect ors. 
(2)  The frequency of those controls should take into account the inspections at least once a year , and the sampli ng 
and testin g if appropr iate refer red to in Article 92(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 in order to make sure that 
any inspections, and any sam pling and testing performed under that Regulation are not repeated under this 
Regulation. 
(3)  If necessar y, on the basis of risk-relate d criteria, the compet ent author ities may increase the frequency of official 
controls in the premises and, where applicable, in other locations used by professional operators author ised to 
issue plant passpor ts in accordance with Article 84(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031. 
(4)  Prof essional operators who have implement ed for at least two consecutive years a pest risk manage ment plan in 
accordance with Article 91 of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 provide more reliable guarant ees concer ning the level 
of phyt osanitar y prote ction in their premises and, where applicable, in their other locations. Theref ore, it is 
appropr iate to allow compe tent author ities to reduce the frequency of official controls on those operat ors to at 
least once ever y two years. 17.1.2019 L 15/1 Official Jour nal of the European Union EN     
(1)OJ L 95, 7.4.2017, p. 1. 
(2)Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament of the Council of 26 October 2016 on prot ective measures against pests of 
plants, amending Regulations (EU) No 228/2013, (EU) No 652/2014 and (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council and repealing Council Directives 69/464/EEC, 74/647/EEC, 93/85/EEC, 98/57/EC, 2000/29/EC, 2006/91/EC and 2007/33/EC 
(OJ L 317, 23.11.2016, p. 4). (5)  A premise and, where applicable, other locations used by professional operators author ised to issue plant 
passpor ts in accordance with Article 84(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 should be subject to at least one 
official control in addition to the one referred to in recital 1 if they are the place of origin of plants, plant 
products and other objects as defined in points (1), (2) and (5) of Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031, whic h 
have been grown at least part of their life or have been locat ed in a demarcate d area established in accordance 
with Article 18(1) of that Regulation, and which can be expecte d to be infested by the pest for whic h that 
demarcate d area had been established. That additional official control should be carried out as close as possible 
to the point in time when those plants, plant products and other objects are mov ed out of that demarcated area 
or from the infested zone to the buffer zone of that demarcat ed area. This is necessar y to ensure that no phyt osa­
nitar y risks occur after any normal official control and before the mov ement of the plants, plant products and 
other objects out of the demarcate d area or from the infested zone to the buffe r zone. 
(6)  In order to ensure an appropr iate level of phytosan itary protection as well as an effective overview on the impor t 
of plants into the Union and the risks thereof, the compet ent author ities, when the plants refer red to in the first 
paragraph of Article 73 of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 are impor ted into the Union territory , should perform 
official controls at arrival into the Union on at least 1 % of the consignments of those plants. 
(7)  The official controls in the premises and, where applicable, in other locations used by professional operators 
author ised to apply the mark on wood packaging mater ial refer red to in Article 98(1) of Regulation (EU) 
2016/2031 should be carried out at least once per year . This is necessar y to ensure a regular and consistent 
control covering the phytosan itary risks associated with the production and trade of that type of mater ial. If 
necessar y, on the basis of risk-relate d criteria, the compet ent author ities may increase the frequency of official 
controls in the premises and, where applicable, in other locations used by professional operators author ised to 
apply the mark on wood packag ing mater ial refer red to in Article 98(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031. 
(8)  As Regulations (EU) 2016/2031 and (EU) 2017/625 apply from 14 December 2019, this Regulation should also 
apply from that date. 
(9)  The measures provi ded for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on 
Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGUL ATION: 
Article 1 
Uniform frequency of official controls on profe ssional operat ors author ised to issue plant 
passpor ts 
Com petent author ities shall perform official controls at least once per year in the premises and, where applicable, in 
other locations used by profes sional operat ors author ised to issue plant passpor ts in accordance with Article 84(1) of 
Regulation (EU) 2016/2031. 
Those controls shall include inspections and, in the case of suspicion of risks to plant health, the sampli ng and testing 
referred to in Article 92(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031. 
Those controls shall be carried out at the most appropr iate time with regard to the possibility of detecting the presence 
of relevant pests or signs or symp toms thereof. 
Article 2 
Increase of frequency of official controls on professional operat ors author ised to issue plant 
passpor ts 
Com petent author ities may increase the frequency of the official controls referred to in Article 1, if the risk so requires, 
taking into account at least the following elements: 
(a)  increased phyt osanitar y risks for the specifi c family , genera or species of the plants or plant products produced in 
those premises and, where applicable, in other locations, where more than one control is necessar y due to the pest 
biology or the environmental conditions; 17.1.2019 L 15/2 Official Jour nal of the European Union EN     (b)  phytosanitar y risks linked to the origin or proven ance within the Union of particular plants, plant products or other 
objects; 
(c)  number of production cycles in a year; 
(d)  histo ry of compliance of the professional operat or with the applicable provisions of Regulations (EU) 2016/2031 
and (EU) 2017/625; 
(e)  available infrastr ucture and where the premises and, where applicable, where other locations used by the 
professional operator are situated. 
Article 3 
Reduction of frequency of official controls on profession al operat ors author ised to issue plant 
passpor ts 
Com petent author ities may reduce the frequency of the official controls refer red to in Article 1 to at least once ever y 
two years, if the risk so allows and the followi ng conditions are fulfilled : 
(a)  the professional operat or has implemented for at least two consecutive years a pest risk manage ment plan in 
accordance with Article 91 of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031; 
(b)  the compet ent author ity has concluded that that plan has been effective in reducing relevant phytosan itary risks and 
that the professional operat or concer ned has compl ied with the applicable provis ions of Regulations (EU) 
2016/2031 and (EU) 2017/625. 
Article 4 
Uniform minimum frequency of official controls on plants, plant products and other objects of 
a particular origin or provenance within the Union 
1. A premise and, where applicable, other locations used by profes sional operators author ised to issue plant 
passpor ts in accordance with Article 84(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 shall be subject to at least one official control 
in addition to the one refer red to in Article 1 if they are the place of origin of plants, plant products and other objects 
as defined in points (1), (2) and (5) of Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031, which have been grown at least part of 
their life or have been locat ed in a demarcated area established in accordance with Article 18(1) of that Regulation, and 
whic h can be expecte d to be infested by the pest for which that demarcate d area had been established. That additional 
official control shall be carried out as close as possible to the point in time when those plants, plant products and other 
objects are moved out of that demarcate d area or from the infested zone to the buffe r zone of that demarcated area. 
2. When carrying out the offici al controls refer red to in paragraph 1, the compet ent author ities shall assess the 
follo wing elements: 
(a)  the risk that the plants, plant products and other objects carry the relevant pest ; 
(b)  the risk of the presence of poten tial vect ors of that pest, taking into account the origin or proven ance within the 
Union of the consignments, the degree of suscep tibility of the plants to infestation and the compl iance by the 
professional operator responsible for the mov ement with any other measure taken to eradicate or contain that pest. 
Article 5 
Uniform minimum frequency of official controls on the plants refer red to in the first parag raph of 
Article 73 of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 
Identity chec ks and physical checks on the plants which are refer red to in the first paragraph of Article 73 of Regulation 
(EU) 2016/2031 and enter the Union shall be carried out on at least 1 % of consignments of those plants. 17.1.2019 L 15/3 Official Jour nal of the European Union EN     Article 6 
Uniform frequency of official controls on prof essional operat ors author ised to apply the mark on 
wood packa ging mater ial 
Com petent author ities shall perform official controls at least once per year in the premises and, where applicable, in 
other locations used by professional operators author ised to apply the mark on wood packag ing mater ial refer red to in 
Article 98(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031. 
Those controls shall include the super vision refer red to in Article 98(3) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031. 
Article 7 
Increase of frequency of official controls on professional operat ors author ised to apply the mark 
on wood packaging mater ial 
Com petent author ities may increase the frequency of the official controls referred to in Article 6, if the risk so requires, 
taking into account one or more of the follo wing elements: 
(a)  increased phyt osanitar y risks linked to the presence of the pests in the Union territory; 
(b)  wood packag ing mater ial, other plants, plant products or other objects having been subject to inter ceptions of pests; 
(c)  histo ry of compliance of the professional operat or with the applicable provisions of Regulations (EU) 2016/2031 
and (EU) 2017/625; 
(d)  available infrastr ucture and where the premises and, where applicable, where other locations used by the 
professional operator are situated. 
Article 8 
Entr y into force and application 
This Regulation shall enter into force the twentieth day followi ng that of its publication in the Official Journal of the 
European Union. 
It shall apply from 14 December 2019. 
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member State s. 
Done at Brussels, 16 Januar y 2019. 
For the Commission 
The President 
Jean-Claude JUNCK ER  17.1.2019 L 15/4 Official Jour nal of the European Union EN