2454 final report.pdf - Agra CEAS Consulting

Evaluation of the Community Plant Health Regime: Final Report
DG SANCO Evaluation Framework Contract Lot 3 (Food Chain)
5.6 Functioning of the internal market: tightening the system of PZs
Measures of the intra-EU plant health regime have aimed to guarantee the functioning of the
internal market (through the plant passport system), as well as establishing the possibility of
maintaining the quarantine status of certain HOs even though these had been introduced or
established in some areas within the EU (through the concept of Protected Zones).
The limitations of these tools have been highlighted in the evaluation of the CPHR to date,
and therefore there is need to understand what changes would be needed in order to ensure the
proper functioning and the achievement of objectives.
5.6.1 Background
As discussed in section 3.6, the evaluation identified a number of weaknesses in the
implementation of the current PZ system for the EU as a whole. As in the case of the plant
passport system, within this overall conclusion, the implementation of the system has been
very variable between MS but also within MS. Despite these variations, it is the performance
of the system as a whole that matters because there is significant evidence that the guarantees
the system aims to provide are no longer credible. Also, although sanctions or penalties are
foreseen, for example removal of PZ status, these are not imposed or are imposed with great
delay, therefore contributing to non enforcement.
The identified shortcomings point to the need for revision of the PZ system, with a view to
improving enforcement and restoring confidence in the system as well as ensuring that
objectives are being met. A significant majority of respondents to the general survey are in
favour of the EU moving closer to the IPPC (PFA) concept (ISPM 4), although it is noted that
there is significant lack of clarity amongst respondents in the use of the PZ and PFA terms
and the manner in which these apply and compare.
5.6.2 Options and analysis
In this context, the options identified for further consideration are as follows 297 :
i. Status quo with improvements (enforcement):
a. Improve surveillance targets (more proportionate approach);
b. Involve stakeholders;
c. Harmonised eradication programmes;
d. Ending status on time (timing and procedure);
ii. Moving to PFA concept:
a. Maintain PZ in addition to PFA;
b. Abolition of PZ system;
297 An inherent weakness of the current system appears to be that PZs are defined at the level of administrative
borders rather than regions actually experiencing (or susceptible to) the emergence of a certain pest. Some MS
are therefore calling for more open models of regionalisation that may group parts of MS or more extensive
regions. This option was not pursued further by the evaluation as it is largely seen to be administratively and
politically non feasible in the context of the current EU internal market (as concluded in section 3.6.3.2).
Food Chain Evaluation Consortium 357