Commission Midday Express, 21 December 2010
Products imported into the European Union from third countries are safe thanks to a well-functioning controls' system, a European Commission report concludes. The report to the European Parliament and the Council on the effectiveness and consistency of sanitary and phytosanitary controls on imports of food, feed, animals and plants demonstrates that, despite an ever-changing global environment and an ever-increasing demand for certain food products on the part of both consumers and businesses, the EU has an effective system in place that ensures consistent import controls across the 27 Member States.
The report, however, also acknowledges that the system is based on individual approaches to specific food and feed sectors. This can occasionally pose difficulties to Member-State authorities and businesses operating within the confines of these controls. The wide range of legislation in place and the complexity of the controls can sometimes contribute to a lack of coherence, particularly when it comes to implementation.
The report, which was published today, concludes that a more holistic approach would serve to strengthen the efficiency of the EU's imports control regime. The Commission is currently reviewing and consolidating its imports provisions for food, feed and animals and plants to achieve a more integrated approach. It aims to present its proposals to the Parliament and Council during the course of 2012. A more holistic approach will serve to reinforce the risk-based nature of the EU's import regime, ensure the optimal allocation of resources and promote the EU regulatory model further.
Today's document comes in reply to an invitation by the Council to submit a report on the issue by the end of 2010.
A copy of the report is available on this site. See: