[REPONSE] Parlement européen, Question écrite à la Commission E-003753/2019 du 8 novembre 2019, Jan Huitema, Passeport phytosanitaire

Niveau juridique : Union européenne

Texte de la question :

«â€¯The European plant passport (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2313) is a measure which will enter into force in the European Union on 14 December 2019.

Each plant will have to be accompanied by a plant passport of the new model in order to support measures to protect against plant pests (Regulation (EU) 2016/2031). The aim of the Regulation is to make every plant traceable so that it will be easier to trace the source of plant pests and/or diseases. Plants and other ornamental horticulture products are the Netherlands’ most valuabe export product, the figure for 2018 being EUR 9.2 billion (1) . However, the impact on smaller plant breeders working with a diverse range of plants will be enormous. Coding each plant will entail a very high cost and heavy administrative burden for small producers cultivating a wide variety of plants.

Various Member States have not yet reached a clear agreement on the implementation of this Regulation. How will the Commission prevent unfair competition from arising between countries that apply the rules on the plant passport correctly and the rest?

In the view of the Commission, how much will the implementation costs amount to for SME plant growers in the Netherlands and, more generally, in all the Member States? Has an impact assessment been carried out concerning this aspect, focusing on the increase in costs?

Why has a system been chosen that involves affixing a physical sticker rather than a similar digital coding system? 

(1) www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/2019/03/landbouwexport-ruim-90-miljard-euro-in-2018  Plant passport »

Réponse donnée par Ms Kyriakides au nom de la Commission européenne, le 28 janvier 2020

« The Commission will follow the implementation of the legislation in the Member States through regular consultations with the relevant competent authorities and through audits in individual Member States. The Commission will also use the “Better Training for Safer Food” initiative to share experiences and best practices.

The plant passport system was introduced in 1995. The new plant health regime (1) is broadening its scope to all business-to-business movements of all plants for planting, in line with the outcome of the impact assessment carried out by the Commission in 20132. The impact assessment included financial and economic impact analysis, which did not suggest a significant increase of costs for operators under the selected policy option. The system was extended to improve the protection of the EU territory against the introduction and spread of harmful organisms. As indicated in the recitals of the regulation, based on consultation with stakeholders, the special situation of small and medium-sized enterprises has been taken into account where possible.

Continuing with a ‘material’ form of plant passport as a distinct printed label was considered the most feasible way to facilitate the transition from the existing to the new plant health regime. However, the legal basis for future digitalisation of the plant passports system through implementing provisions is already included in Article 83 (8) of the new legislation. »

(1) eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32016R2031&from=EN

eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32016R2031&from=EN

eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32016R2031&from=EN

eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32016R2031&from=EN

(2) eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/fr/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52013SC0169

eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/fr/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52013SC0169

eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/fr/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52013SC0169

eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/fr/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52013SC0169

Lien vers la page de la question ici