On Tuesday 9 December, the European Commission announced tighter controls on foodstuffs, animals and plants entering the European Union.
Following an Implementation Dialogue on import controls with stakeholders from the agri-food sector, Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi presented various measures to strengthen controls at the EU’s borders and in third countries. “These measures will ensure that EU citizens continue to benefit from the highest levels of food safety, while EU producers have a level playing field vis-à-vis their global competitors”, says the Commission.
Speaking to the press, Olivér Várhelyi said (https://aeur.eu/f/jws ) that imports of agri-food products into the EU are worth €160 billion a year, and that controls both inside and outside the Union needed to be stepped up to guarantee product safety.
In January 2026, the Commission will launch a European task force to make import controls more efficient. It will focus in particular on pesticide residues, food and feed safety and animal welfare and will consider coordinated EU monitoring action on specific imported products.
Enhanced reciprocity. The Commissioner insisted on the objective of “better alignment” of European standards with those of third countries exporting to the EU. “We have committed to a principle, which is not to allow the most hazardous pesticides that are banned in the EU back into the EU through imported products”, said Mr Várhelyi. This “enhanced reciprocity” should ensure that the EU’s ambitious standards do not create a competitive disadvantage for European farmers and the agricultural sector, he said. The Commission has launched an impact study to determine how this principle can be fully implemented, in an operational manner, while taking account of the possible commercial implications (see EUROPE 13759/19).
In the meantime, the Commission will be updating the rules on authorisation to import products containing traces of dangerous pesticides banned in the EU, in line with recently revised international standards. “If these pesticides are not authorised in the EU for health protection reasons, they must not be detected as residues in our food”, the Commissioner insisted.
Controls. The Commission plans to increase the number of audits carried out in non-EU countries by 50% over the next two years, with effect from 1 January 2026. It provides for a 33% increase in audits of border control posts to check that inspections are carried out in accordance with EU requirements.
Enhanced surveillance of non-compliant products and countries is also planned, as is increased support from the Commission to the Member States in carrying out these additional checks. In addition, around 500 staff from the national authorities responsible for official controls will receive dedicated training as part of a European programme. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)