Upcoming EU regulatory changes and opportunities for feedback: July–December 2024

Update

For some new policies and regulations, the EU gives the opportunity to all stakeholders (including those from non-EU countries) to provide their input and feedback. For more information on the EU consultation process, see Stakeholder inputs into EU policy-making – explained. The upcoming initiatives so far announced for July–December 2024 are listed here.

Background

The European Commission will be collecting feedback on the new agri-food policies and regulations listed here.

Once consultations are launched, all stakeholders (competent authorities, trade associations, individual exporters) may provide direct feedback via the EU’s Have your say webpages.

Participating in this process is important, and helps to ensure that the interests of low- and middle-income countries are taken into account when new policies or regulations are developed by the EU.

These consultations are part of the Commission’s commitment to greater regulatory transparency and are carried out in line with its Better Regulation Guidelines.

Impacted Products

fish, olive oil, animal products, plant based food, food supplements, fortified foods, organic, food contact materials

Upcoming opportunities to give feedback

Stakeholders can provide input to public consultations or give feedback on draft proposals for the following.

Fish

Rules for fishery products frozen in brine on board vessels and for unpurified bivalve molluscs – Delegated Regulation
Aim: Proposes that whole fish frozen in brine on board vessels, which currently must be destined for canning or for cooking in establishments that carry out processing operations under Regulation 852/2004, may be destined for direct human consumption under strict freezing procedures on board vessels approved for that purpose.
Timeline: Last quarter of 2024.
Common Fisheries Policy – Evaluation
Aim: Evaluate if the Common Fisheries Policy Regulation has successfully contributed to ensuring that fisheries and aquaculture are managed in an environmentally and socially sustainable way.
Timeline: Call for evidence until 6 September 2024, followed by public consultation last quarter of 2024.

Food safety

Vitamins and minerals added to food (minimum and maximum levels) – Regulation
Aim: Set maximum levels for vitamins and minerals that may be added to food supplements and foods; and set minimum levels for food supplements.
Timeline: Update expected soon.

Foodstuffs – methods of analysis for official checks as laid down in Commission Regulation No 2073/2005 – Implementing Regulation

Aim: Establish the analytical methods that may be used by EU Member State competent authorities when checking the implementation of Regulation 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs.

Timeline: EU consultation until 2 July 2024.

Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods – update of safety criteria – Regulation
Aim: Align EU rules with international Codex Alimentarius standards on the acceptable level of Listeria monocytogenes contamination of certain categories of ready-to-eat food. See EU to extend criteria for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat food to the whole food chain – WTO SPS consultation.
Timeline: WTO consultation until 16 July 2024.

Fruit and vegetables

Reviewing sectoral rules and modernising certain market-monitoring rules and mechanisms – Delegated Regulation
Aim: Review and codify sectoral rules covering fruit and vegetables, and streamline certain market monitoring rules and mechanisms.
Timeline: Last quarter of 2024.

Olive oil

Olive oil marketing standards – revision of conformity checks – Implementing Regulation
Aim: Bring EU olive oil marketing standards into line with recent changes to the International Olive Council Trade Standard; clarify rules on verifying the organoleptic characteristics of olive oil, and the sampling procedure for conformity checks. See Conformity checks of olive oil marketing standards.
Timeline: EU consultation until 28 June 2024 and WTO consultation until 3 August 2024.

Animal products

Animal welfare - verifying compliance with EU welfare rules (detailed requirements) – Implementing Regulation
Aim: Facilitate the verification of compliance with EU animal welfare rules during official meat inspections in slaughterhouses, such as monitoring the condition of pigs’ tails and broilers’ feet as indicators of on-farm animal welfare. Also to update rules on health markings, which will enter into force following a transition period, and rules on on-farm slaughter of animals such as cattle, pigs, and ostriches.
Timeline: Last quarter of 2024.

Products of animal origin – amendment of import conditions for public health reasons – Delegated Regulation

Aim: Amend the import conditions for certain products to allow these products of animal origin to enter the EU where the EU depends on them (carmine, certain collagen casings). It will also provide clarification on the establishments of origin of raw materials used in other establishments for certain meat (products) allowed to enter the EU, to guarantee the rules are implemented in a harmonised way.
Timeline: First quarter of 2025.

Animal health – EU entry requirements for plant material & means of animal transport – Delegated Regulation
Aim: Prevent animal diseases from non-EU countries and territories entering the EU by reinforcing requirements on plant materials such as hay and straw and the means of transport for animals and animal products.
Timeline: Update expected soon.

Residues

Pesticide residues in food – methods for sampling and analysis (update) – Regulation
Aim: Update the current methods for sampling and analysing plant and animal products to determine their compliance with maximum residue levels (MRLs) for pesticides: an Implementing Regulation will replace Directive 2002/63/EC.
Timeline: Update expected soon.

Organic production

Imports of organic products – certification and checks of certain operators in non-EU countries – Delegated Regulation
Aim: Amend the rules on the checks carried out to certify operators or groups of operators in non-EU countries. It will also amend the rules on the controls performed on those operators and groups of operators and their organic products by control authorities and bodies recognised for that purpose. The aim is to avoid unnecessary trade disruptions for organic products pending the delivery of these certificates in line with the current rules.
Timeline: EU consultation until 11 July 2024.

Organic products – List of recognised control authorities and control bodies for the imports of organic products compliant with EU rules – Implementing Regulation
Aim: List the control authorities and control bodies recognised to certify operators and groups of operators in non-EU countries after 31 December 2024, compliant with the new EU legislative framework on organics, for the purpose of importing of organic products into the EU.
Timeline: EU consultation until 9 July 2024.

Organic and in-conversion products – import controls and certificates of inspection (revision): Delegated Regulation and Implementing Regulation
Aim: Revise the rules on EU import controls for organic and in-conversion products that are not yet certified under EU organic legislation, and the accompanying certificates of inspection.
Timeline: For the Delegated Regulation: EU consultation until 16 July 2024. For the Implementing Regulation: third quarter of 2024.

Organic production – amended list of authorised products and substances – Implementing Regulation
Aim: Amend the list of products and substances that may be used in organic production.
Timeline: Initially planned for the second quarter of 2024, but still awaited.

Organic insects – detailed production methods (new rules) – Delegated Regulation
Aim: Set detailed rules for the organic production of insects (except bees) used in feed or food, including where insects should come from, how they should be fed, and how they should be kept and killed.
Timeline: Third quarter of 2024.

Wine-making – practices allowed under certain conditions to produce organic de-alcoholised wine – Delegated Regulation
Aim: Allow wine-making practices acceptable for the production of non-organic de-alcoholised wine to apply to the production of organic de-alcoholised wine, under specific conditions.
Timeline: Initially planned for the second quarter of 2024, but still awaited.

Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) – publication of 'organic' operator certificates (detailed rules) – Implementing Regulation
Aim: Provide the technical means to publish 'organic' operator certificates issued by competent authorities, control authorities or control bodies in the electronic Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES).

Timeline: Last quarter of 2024.

Biocidal products

Biocidal products – renewing authorisations of products subject to mutual recognition – Delegated Regulation
Aim: Clarify the scope of application of Delegated Regulation (EU) 492/2014:

• clarify which authorisations can be renewed in a group application
• create a procedure to renew the same biocidal products that have a reference authorisation product that was granted by mutual recognition
• clarify how to apply for changes at the time of renewal
• align period of grace and referrals to the coordination group with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 528/2012.

Timeline: Last quarter of 2024.

Biocides – Review Programme Regulation on existing biocidal active substances (update) – Delegated Regulation
Aim: Update Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1062/2014, including the rules governing the review programme of existing active substances under Regulation (EU) No 528/2012. Its main aim is to speed up progress in completing the work programme.
Timeline: Third quarter of 2024.

Trade

Tariff quotas – amended rules on reference quantity requirement – Delegated Regulation
Aim: Adjust the rules on reference quantities of poultry to avoid any risk of market distortions posed by recent market developments in some sensitive sectors. Read Poultry tariff quotas.
Timeline: EU consultation until 3 July 2024.

Rice quotas, certificate templates and quota quantity for cheese exports – changes to rules – Implementing Regulation
Aim: Modify the rules on the management of some rice tariff quotas that are over demanded.
Timeline: EU consultation until 8 July 2024.

Several initiatives announced in the Farm to Fork Strategy (such as sustainable food systems, labelling, animal welfare, etc.) were planned but have been delayed (see EU Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy).

Recommended Actions

Keep track of the timelines listed in this record, which are updated on a regular basis. All open consultations will be highlighted in the regular AGRINFO Update emails. If there are currently problems in accessing the EU market due to the rules referred to in the areas above, these consultations offer an opportunity to highlight existing problems. Input into consultations is always best supported by relevant supporting information and data, so it is important to start collecting information at an early stage in anticipation of a consultation.

Resources

European Commission: Better Regulation: why and how

Sources

---