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)
Committee and Market Access Advisory Committee. Market access and export issues are
handled in the context of such agreements. In case no such agreement exists the market access
and export issues are dealt with in the so-called market access working groups managed by
DG TRADE. Furthermore market access and export issues are dealt with in the SPS
Committee meetings.
2.8 International relations
The CPHR is linked to EU obligations under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Sanitary
and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement adopted in 1994. For plant health, the WTO-SPS
Agreement refers to the standards, guidelines and recommendations developed under the
auspices of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), which lays down
requirements to contracting parties and their subordinate NPPOs. The EU is a contracting
party to both the WTO-SPS (since 1995) and the IPPC (since 2004).
The IPPC has developed a large framework of so-called International Standards for
Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs). These are not legally binding, but contracting parties should
base their phytosanitary policy upon them. All EU-27 MS are IPPC Contracting Parties. The
Community acceded to the IPPC in 2004.
All MS are also members of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation
(EPPO), which has developed a large set of standards for phytosanitary measures (see the
website of EPPO). The Commission attends some EPPO panels as well as the Phytosanitary
Working Party and EPPO Council meetings as observer.
In addition, the EU has a number of bilateral trade and partnership or cooperation agreements
with a range of third countries, and in some cases these include phytosanitary aspects.
2.9 EU financial instruments and contribution
Financial contributions by the Community on plant health currently take place in the context
of the Solidarity Regime. Costs from public funds to implement eradication and containment
measures may be supported financially by the Community on the basis of Articles 22 and 23
of Directive 2000/29/EC. Financial support may also be given for the border control
infrastructure on the basis of Article 13.c.5 of the Directive. Costs for growers whose plant
material is destroyed are not compensated.
In summary the financial aspects of the current regime are as follows:
i. The system is restricted to costs incurred by governments for phytosanitary actions
(mainly costs of inspections and testing, costs of destruction of plants and plant
products and of disinfection of production, packaging and storage materials and means
of transport) but not financial losses of growers; a possibility to cover such costs has
been inserted in the Directive but the legal framework to use it (implementing
Regulation) has not been developed;
ii. The Community financial contribution is restricted only to eradication and containment
costs related to spreading of harmful organisms caused by movements of plants and
plant products (but excluding natural spread);
Food Chain Evaluation Consortium 36