Council Decision (EU) 2026/711 of 16 March 2026 on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Council of Members of the International Olive Council (IOC) as regards the trade standard for olive oils and olive pomace oils and a new method of analysis for determining the peroxide value in such oils
Date: 2026-03-16
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: commodity agreement, international organisation, marketing standard, multilateral agreement, olive, olive oil, quality control of agricultural products








L_202600711EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
L series













2026/711


20.3.2026







            COUNCIL DECISION (EU) 2026/711
         
of 16 March 2026
         
on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Council of Members of the International Olive Council (IOC) as regards the trade standard for olive oils and olive pomace oils and a new method of analysis for determining the peroxide value in such oils


THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 207(4), first subparagraph, in conjunction with Article 218(9), thereof,


Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:







(1)


The International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, 2015 (1) (the ‘Agreement’) was signed on 18 November 2016 on behalf of the Union in accordance with Council Decision (EU) 2016/1892 (2) and was concluded by the Union by means of Council Decision (EU) 2019/848 (3).












(2)


Pursuant to Article 7(1) of the Agreement, the Council of Members of the International Olive Council (IOC) (the ‘Council of Members’) can take decisions and adopt recommendations for the application of the provisions of the Agreement.












(3)


The Council of Members is to adopt a decision amending the trade standard for olive oils and olive pomace oils and a decision on a new method of analysis for determining the peroxide value in such oils, by exchange of correspondence, ahead of its 123rd session to be held in June 2026 or during that session.












(4)


The decisions to be adopted have been extensively discussed between scientific and technical experts on olive oil from the Commission and from the Member States. Those decisions will contribute to the international harmonisation of standards for olive oils and will establish a framework which will ensure fair competition in the trade of products from the olive oil sector.












(5)


The Union should therefore support the adoption of the decision on a new method of analysis for determining the peroxide value in olive oils and olive pomace oils, by exchange of correspondence.












(6)


Regarding the amendments to the IOC trade standard (Trade standard COI/T.15/NC No 4 applying to olive oils and olive pomace oils), the Union should support the addition of the Coratina variety to the Koroneiki and Nocellara del Belice varieties, without limiting the application of the footnote on the total sterol content in the Coratina, Koroneiki and Nocellara del Belice varieties until the end of the 2026/27 crop year.












(7)


It is appropriate to establish the position to be taken on behalf of the Union within the Council of Members, as the decisions to be adopted will have legal effects on the Union as regards international trade with the other members of the IOC and will be capable of decisively influencing the content of Union law, namely on marketing standards and conformity checks for olive oil adopted by the Commission pursuant to Article 75 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4).












(8)


If the adoption of the decisions is postponed to the 123rd session of the Council of Members, as a result of some members of the IOC not being in a position to give their approval for the adoption of the decisions beforehand, the position set out in the Annex to this Decision should be taken on behalf of the Union during the 123rd session of the Council of Members.












(9)


It should, however, be possible for the representatives of the Union in the Council of Members to agree to technical adaptations to other methods or documents of the IOC without a further decision of the Council if those technical adaptations result from amendments related to the revision of the trade standard or to the revision of the new method.












(10)


In order to preserve the interest of the Union, the representatives of the Union in the Council of Members should, however, be allowed to request to postpone the adoption of the decision amending the trade standard and of the decision on the new method for determining the peroxide value in olive oils and olive pomace oils, if the position to be taken on behalf of the Union is likely to be affected by new scientific or technical information presented before the exchange of correspondence ahead of the 123rd session of the Council of Members is initiated,





HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:



Article 1
The position to be taken on the Union’s behalf within the Council of Members of the International Olive Council (IOC) (the ‘Council of Members’) as regards the adoption of decisions by the Council of Members, by exchange of correspondence, ahead of its 123rd session to be held in June 2026 or during that session, is set out in the Annex to this Decision.
The decisions referred to in the first subparagraph are the decision on the trade standard for olive oils and olive pomace oils, and the decision on a new method for determining the peroxide value in such oils.


Article 2
Technical adaptations to other methods or documents of the IOC may be agreed to by the representatives of the Union in the Council of Members without a further decision of the Council if those technical adaptations result from amendments related to the revision of the trade standard for olive oils and olive pomace oils or to the revision of the new method.


Article 3
Where the position referred to in Article 1 is likely to be affected by new scientific or technical information presented before the exchange of correspondence ahead of the 123rd session of the Council of Members is initiated, the representatives of the Union shall request that the adoption of the decision amending the trade standard for olive oils and olive pomace oils and of the decision on the new method for determining the peroxide value in such oils be postponed until the position of the Union is established on the basis of that new information.


Article 4
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.




Done at Brussels, 16 March 2026.


For the Council


The President

K. KALLAS
            





(1)  International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, 2015 (OJ L 293, 28.10.2016, p. 4, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/agree_internation/2016/1892/oj).

(2)  Council Decision (EU) 2016/1892 of 10 October 2016 on the signing, on behalf of the European Union, and provisional application of the International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, 2015 (OJ L 293, 28.10.2016, p. 2, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2016/1892/oj).

(3)  Council Decision (EU) 2019/848 of 17 May 2019 on the conclusion on behalf of the European Union of the International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, 2015 (OJ L 139, 27.5.2019, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2019/848/oj).

(4)  Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/1308/oj).




ANNEX
Position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Council of Members of the International Olive Council (IOC)
The European Union shall support the following amendments to the International Olive Council (IOC) trade standard (Trade standard COI/T.15/NC No. 4 applying to olive oils and olive pomace oils):






(1)


the revision of a footnote on the total sterol content in some monovarietal extra virgin olive oils by adding the Coratina variety to the Koroneiki and Nocellara del Belice varieties;










(2)


the addition of the new method of analysis for determining the peroxide value in olive oils and olive pomace oils.




The European Union shall also support the decision approving a new method of analysis (COI/T.20/Doc. No 38) which provides for a safer alternative to the current IOC method (COI/T.20/Doc. No 35) for determining the peroxide value in olive oils and olive pomace oils.
Technical adaptations to other methods or documents of the IOC may be agreed to by the representatives of the Union in the Council of Members of the IOC without further decision of the Council if those technical adaptations result from amendments referred to in the first paragraph.



ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2026/711/oj
ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)