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| Regulation (EU) 2017/625 | |
|---|---|
| Title | Regulation (EU) 2017/625 |
| Type | Regulation |
| Institution | European Parliament |
| Institution2 | Council of the European Union |
| Adopted | 2017 |
| Entry into force | 2019 |
| Repealed | Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 |
| Subject | Official controls on food and feed, animal health and welfare, plant health |
Regulation (EU) 2017/625
Regulation (EU) 2017/625 was adopted within the legislative framework of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, following proposals from the European Commission and political scrutiny by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, and it interacts with instruments such as the General Food Law Regulation and the Regulation (EU) 2016/429. The regulation replaced and consolidated prior acts including Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 and elements of Directive 2000/29/EC to harmonize official controls across the European Union and to align practices with standards promoted by international bodies such as the World Organisation for Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Its adoption reflected policy debates involving stakeholders represented by associations like the European Farmers umbrella groups, trade organizations including the European Food and Drink Federation, and judicial consideration by the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The regulation establishes a coherent legal basis for official controls relating to food safety, animal health, animal welfare, and plant health within the European Union internal market, and it aims to protect public health, consumer interests, and intra-EU trade by creating rules for competent authorities such as national inspection services in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Poland. Objectives include risk-based enforcement, coordination with agencies like the European Food Safety Authority and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and facilitation of cross-border cooperation with third countries including United States, China, and Brazil through import control regimes analogous to those applied in Norway and Iceland. The regulation also seeks to enhance transparency and data sharing among bodies such as the European Commission, the European Court of Auditors, and intergovernmental networks like the International Plant Protection Convention.
Key provisions set out mandatory official controls, contingency measures, and sampling and laboratory testing requirements, specifying roles for competent authorities in member states such as the national ministries in Sweden and the executive agencies in Netherlands. The text defines powers for inspectors, epidemiological surveillance measures comparable to protocols under the World Health Organization, and coordinated responses to outbreaks following principles used in responses to crises like the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy event and the H5N1 avian influenza incidents. Provisions address the accreditation and designation of laboratories, cooperation with reference centers including the European Reference Laboratory network, and criteria for risk profiling and targeted controls informed by methodologies used by the European Environment Agency. The regulation prescribes electronic reporting obligations and databases interoperable with systems used by Customs Union partners and harmonizes fees and penalties in line with precedents set by rulings of the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Implementation requires transposition of operational procedures by competent authorities in member states such as the United Kingdom’s devolved administrations (prior to withdrawal) and adaptation by regional authorities in federations like Germany and Belgium. Enforcement mechanisms include coordinated audits by the European Commission and peer reviews analogous to oversight mechanisms employed by the European Central Bank in financial supervision, and judicial review can occur before the Court of Justice of the European Union when compliance disputes arise. The regulation empowers the Commission to adopt implementing and delegated acts following consultation with committees resembling the comitology structures used in the adoption of measures under the Common Agricultural Policy and creates avenues for funded capacity-building programs financed through instruments connected to the European Structural and Investment Funds.
The regulation has affected national inspection services, private sector operators such as multinational food producers represented by the European Food and Drink Federation and agricultural cooperatives like the COPA-COGECA, and trade partners including Norway and candidates for accession like Turkey. Impacts include increased standardization of inspection protocols, shifts in administrative burdens for small and medium enterprises exemplified by firms in Greece and Portugal, and enhanced cross-border traceability influencing supply chains used by retailers such as Tesco and Carrefour. Civil society organizations, including European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and animal welfare NGOs like Eurogroup for Animals, engaged in monitoring and advocacy relating to transparency and enforcement intensity, while veterinary and phytosanitary services adjusted training and laboratory capacity consistent with guidance from the World Organisation for Animal Health.
Since adoption, the regulation has interacted with and been complemented by acts such as Regulation (EU) 2016/429 on transmissible animal diseases and sectoral instruments tied to the Common Agricultural Policy and Single Market rules, and it has been subject to implementing acts and delegated acts adopted by the European Commission to clarify technical modalities. Member states have adjusted national implementing measures in response to Court rulings from the Court of Justice of the European Union and policy developments driven by crises like the COVID-19 pandemic that implicated supply chains and inspection regimes, prompting coordination with entities including the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the European Food Safety Authority. Ongoing legislative work in the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union continues to refine interfaces with trade agreements negotiated with partners such as the European Free Trade Association and to ensure coherence with international standards under the World Trade Organization.