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COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1991/2006 
of 21 December 2006 
amending Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91 on organic production 
of agricultural products and indications referring thereto 
on agricultural products and foodstuffs 
(Text with EEA relevance) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the Eu ropean Community, and in  particular Article 37 
thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
Having regard to the Opinion of the European Parliament1, 
Whereas: 
(1) It is necessary to advance the implementation of the European Action Plan for Organic 
Food and Farming on the basis of concrete measures with a view to assuring simplification 
and overall coherence. 
(2) Organic products imported into the Comm unity should be allowed to be placed on the 
Community market labelled with a referen ce to organic farming if they have been 
produced in accordance with production rules an d subject to inspection arrangements that 
are in compliance with, or equiva lent to, Community legislation. 
(3) Third countries whose production standards a nd inspection arrangements are equivalent to 
those applied in the Community should be  recognised and a list thereof should be 
published. Inspection bodies or inspection authorities competent to carry out inspection in countries which are not on the li st of recognised third countrie s should also be recognised 
                                                 
1 Opinion of 28 September 2006 (not yet published in the Official Journal ). 
 
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and listed. Third country operators who produ ce in direct compliance with Community 
rules should be allowed to submit their ac tivities to inspection bodies and inspection 
authorities recognised by the Commission for this purpose. 
(4) Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91 of 24 June 1991 on organic producti on of agricultural 
products and indications referring ther eto on agricultural products and foodstuffs1 provides 
for the possibility for Member States to grant until 31 December 2006 authorisations to 
importers for the placing on the Community market of individual products under certain 
conditions. It should be amende d to replace that import scheme  with a scheme applicable 
after that date. 
(5) In order not to disrupt inte rnational trade, it is necessary  to extend the possibility for 
Member States to continue to grant authoris ations to importers on a case by case basis for 
the placing on the Community market of pr oducts until the measures necessary for the 
functioning of the new import scheme have been put in place, in particular as regards the 
recognition of inspection bodies and inspec tion authorities competent to carry out 
inspection in those countries which are not on the list of recognis ed third countries. 
(6) Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91 should be amended accordingly, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 
Article 1 
Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91 is  hereby amended as follows: 
1) in Article 10(1), point (b) shall be replaced by the following: 
"(b) have been subject to the inspection syst em referred to in Article 9, or have been 
imported in conformity with Article 11; 
 however, in the case of products imported  in conformity with Article 11(6), the 
implementation of the inspection system shall comply with requirements equivalent 
to those provided for in Article 9, and in particular paragraph 4 thereof."; 
                                                 
1 OJ L 198, 22.7.1991, p.1. Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) 
No 780/2006 (OJ L 137, 25.5.2006, p. 9). 
 
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2) Article 11 shall be replaced by the following: 
 "Article 11 
1. A product imported from a third country may be placed on the Community market 
labelled as a product with indications re ferring to the organic production method 
provided that: 
(a) the product complies with the provisions  set out in Article s 5 and 6 of this 
Regulation; 
(b) all operators, including the exporters, have submitted their activities to an 
inspection body or an inspection author ity recognised in accordance with 
paragraph 2; and, 
(c) the operators concerned shall be able to  provide at any time, to the importers or 
the national authorities, documentary ev idence permitting the identification of 
the operator who carried out the last operation and the type or range of 
products under his control, as well as  permitting verification of compliance by 
that operator with points (a) and (b), and the period of validity. 
2. The Commission shall, in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 14(2), 
recognise the inspection bodies and inspection authoritie s referred to in 
paragraph 1(b), including insp ection bodies and in spection authorities referred to in 
Article 9, competent to carry out inspections and to issue documentary evidence 
referred to in paragraph 1(c) in third c ountries, and shall esta blish a list of those 
inspection bodies and in spection authorities. 
The inspection bodies shall be accredited to the relevant European Standard 
EN 45011 or ISO Guide 65 "General requirements for bodies operating product certification systems", this being the versi on last published in th e Official Journal 
of the European Union, C series. The inspection bodies shall undergo regular 
on-the-spot evaluation, monitoring and multi- annual re-assessment of their activities 
by the accreditation body. 
 
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When examining requests for recognition, th e Commission shall invite the inspection 
body or authority to supply all the necessary information. The Commission may also 
entrust experts with the task  of examining on-the-spot th e rules of production and the 
inspection activities carrie d out in the third country  by the inspection body or 
inspection authority concerned. 
The recognised inspection bodies or insp ection authorities shall provide the 
assessment reports issued by the accreditation body or, as appropriate, the competent 
authority on the regular on-the-spot evaluation, monitoring and multi-annual 
re-assessment of their activities.  
Based on the assessment reports, the Commi ssion, assisted by the Member States, 
shall ensure appropriate supervision of  the recognised inspection bodies and 
inspection authorities by re gularly reviewing their rec ognition. The nature of the 
supervision shall be determined on the basi s of an assessment of the risk of the 
occurrence of irregularities or infringement s of the provisions set out in or pursuant 
to this Regulation. 
3. A product imported from a third country may also be placed on the Community 
market labelled as a product with indications referring to th e organic production 
method, provided that: 
(a) the product has been produced in accordance with production standards 
equivalent to the production rules laid down in Articles 5 and 6 for organic 
production in the Community; 
(b) the operators have been subject to  inspection measures of equivalent 
effectiveness to those referred to in  Articles 8 and 9, and such inspection 
measures have been permanently and effectively applied; 
(c) the operators at all stages of produc tion, preparation and distribution in the 
third country have submitted their activi ties to an inspection system recognised 
in accordance with paragraph 4 or an inspection body or inspection authority recognised in accordance with paragraph 5; and,  
 
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(d) the product is covered by a certificat e of inspection issued by the competent 
authorities or inspection bodies or insp ection authorities of the third country 
recognised in accordance with paragraph 4, or by an inspection body or 
inspection authority recognised in a ccordance with paragraph 5, which 
confirms that the product satisfies the c onditions set out in this paragraph. The 
original of the certificate must accompany the goods to the premises of the first 
consignee. Thereafter, the importer must keep the certificate at the disposal of 
the inspection body and, as a ppropriate, the inspection authority for not less 
than two years. 
4. The Commission may, in accordance with th e procedure referred to in Article 14(2), 
recognise third countries whose system of  production complies with rules equivalent 
to those laid down in Articles 5 and 6 and whose inspection arrangements are of 
equivalent effectiveness to those laid down in Article 8 and 9, and may establish a 
list of these countries. The assessment of  equivalency shall take into account 
Codex Alimentarius  guidelines CAC/GL 32. 
When examining requests for recognition, the Commission shall invite the third 
country to supply all the necessary info rmation. The Commission may entrust to 
experts the task of examining on-the-spot  the rules of production and the inspection 
arrangements of the third country concerned. 
By 31 March of each year, the third count ries so recognised shall send a concise 
annual report to the Commission regarding the implementation a nd the enforcement 
of their inspection arrangements. 
Based on the information in those annual reports, the Commission, assisted by the 
Member States, shall ensure appropriate s upervision of the rec ognised third countries 
by regularly reviewing their recognition. The nature of the supervision shall be 
determined on the basis of an assessment of the risk of the occurrence of 
irregularities or infringeme nts of the provisions set out in or pursuant to this 
Regulation. 
5. For products not imported under paragraph 1 and not imported from a third country 
which is recognised under paragraph 4, the Commission may, in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 14(2), r ecognise the in spection bodies and inspection 
authorities, including inspection bodies and in spection authorities as referred to in 
Article 9, competent to carry out inspections  and issue certificates  in third countries 
 
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for the purpose of paragraph 3, and estab lish a list of these inspection bodies and 
inspection authorities. The assessment of  equivalency shall take into account 
Codex Alimentarius  guidelines CAC/GL 32. 
The Commission shall examine any request for recognition lodged by an inspection 
body or an inspection authority in a third country. 
When examining requests for recognition, th e Commission shall invite the inspection 
body or inspection authority to supply all the necessary information. The inspection 
body or the inspection authority shall undergo regular on-the-spot evaluation, 
monitoring and multi-annual re-assessment of their activities by an accreditation 
body or, as appropriate, by a competent au thority. The Commission may entrust to 
experts the task of examining on-the-spot  the rules of production and the inspection 
activities carried out in the third coun try by the inspection body or inspection 
authority concerned. 
The recognised inspection bodies or insp ection authorities shall provide the 
assessment reports issued by the accreditation body or, as appropriate, the competent authority on the regular on-the-spot evaluation, monitoring and multi-annual 
re-assessment of their activities. 
Based on those assessment reports, the Co mmission, assisted by the Member States, 
shall ensure appropriate supervision of recognised inspection bodies and inspection 
authorities by regularly reviewing their recognition. The nature of the supervision 
shall be determined on the basis of an a ssessment of the risk of the occurrence of 
irregularities or infringeme nts of the provisions set out in or pursuant to this 
Regulation. 
6. For a period starting on 1 January 2007 and ending 12 months after the publication of 
the first list of inspection bodies and inspection aut horities recognised pursuant to 
paragraph 5, the competent authority of a Member State may authorise importers in 
that Member State, where the importer has notified his activity in accordance with 
Article 8(1), to place on the market products  imported from third countries which are 
not included in the list referred to in para graph 4, provided that the importer provides 
sufficient evidence showing that the conditi ons referred to in points (a) and (b) of 
paragraph 3 are satisfied. If those conditions  are no longer satisf ied, the authorisation 
shall be immediately withdrawn. Authorisatio ns shall expire at the latest 24 months 
after the publication of the first list of in spection bodies and in spection authorities 
 
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recognised pursuant to pa ragraph 5. The imported produc t shall be covered by a 
certificate of inspection issued by the authority or body which has been accepted for 
issuing the certificate of inspection by th e competent authority of the authorising 
Member State. The original of the ce rtificate must accompany the goods to the 
premises of the first consignee; thereafter th e importer must keep the certificate at the 
disposal of the inspection body and, as appropriate, the inspection authority for not less than two years. 
Each Member State shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of 
each authorisation granted pursuant to this paragraph, including information on the 
production standards and inspec tion arrangements concerned. 
At the request of a Member State or at the Commission's initiative, an authorisation 
granted pursuant to this paragraph sha ll be examined by the Committee referred to 
Article 14. If this examination discloses that  the conditions referred to in points (a) 
and (b) of paragraph 3 of this Article ar e not satisfied, the Commission shall require 
the Member State which granted th e authorisation to withdraw it. 
Any authorisation to market products impor ted from a third country which had, prior 
to 31 December 2006, been granted to an im porter by the competent authority of the 
respective Member State under this para graph, shall expire on 31 December 2007 at 
the latest. 
7. The Commission shall, in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 14(2), 
adopt detailed rules for the application  of this Article, in particular regarding: 
(a) the criteria and procedures  to be followed with re gard to the recognition of 
third countries and inspection bodies and inspection authoriti es, including the 
publication of lists of re cognised third countries and inspection bodies and 
inspection authorities; and, 
 
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(b) the documentary evidence referred to in paragraph 1 and the certificate referred 
to in paragraphs 3(d) and 6 of this Ar ticle, taking into account the advantages 
of electronic certification including the enhanced protection against fraud."; 
3) the second subparagraph of Article 16(3) shall be deleted; 
4) point C of Annex III is hereby amended as follows: 
(a) In the first paragraph, the second inde nt shall be replaced by the following: 
"– the first consignee shall mean the na tural or legal person referred to in 
Article 11(3)(d) and Article 11(6) to wh om the consignment is delivered and 
who will receive it for further preparation or placing on the Community 
market."; and,  
(b) In point 5, the first subparagraph shall be replaced by the following: 
"The inspection body or authority shall in spect the stock and financial records 
mentioned in section C, point 2 and the certificate of inspection referred to in 
Article 11(3)(d) or Article 11(6) and the documentary evidence referred to in 
Article 11(1).". 
Article 2 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the seventh day following that of its publication in the 
Official Journal of the European Union . 
It shall apply from 1 January 2007. 
This Regulation shall be binding in  its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. 
 
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Done at Brussels, 21 December 2006. 
 For the Council 
 The President 
 J. KORKEAOJA