Organic products; AGRICULTURE (ICS 65), FOOD TECHNOLOGY (ICS 67)

Draft Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) …/... of XXX supplementing Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council with rules on the official controls in respect of consignments of organic products and in-conversion products intended for import into the Union and on the certificate of inspection (14 page(s), in English; 7 page(s), in English)

This draft regulation sets out the rules for the certificate of inspection, a document that must accompany each consignment of organic products imported into the EU, and the official controls to be carried out by EU Member States before releasing organic products originating in third countries for free circulation into the Union. In addition, the draft regulation establishes the information a competent authority, control authority or control body in a third country must provide in the event that consignments are found to be non-compliant before the release for free circulation of the relevant products. Furthermore, the regulation includes certain contingency arrangements applicable to control authorities and control bodies issuing the certificate of inspection in the event that the relevant information technology system (TRACES) is unavailable. The draft regulation includes transitional provisions for the use of a hand-signed paper certificates until 30 June 2022 before the qualified electronic seal becomes obligatory. Finally, the draft regulation includes a model of the certificate of inspection.

This act needs to be read together with the draft Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) …/...of XXX laying down rules on documents and notifications required for organic and in-conversion products intended for import into the Union, simultaneously notified to the WTO.