Granting equivalence with EU requirements to Moldova and Ukraine as regards field inspections and production of seed
The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development adopted the report by Veronika VRECIONOVĂ (ECR, CZ) on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Decision 2003/17/EC as regards the equivalence of field inspections carried out in the Republic of Moldova on fodder plant seed-producing crops and on the equivalence of fodder plant seed produced in the Republic of Moldova, and as regards the equivalence of field inspections carried out in Ukraine on beet seed-producing crops and oil plant seed-producing crops and on the equivalence of beet seed and oil plant seed produced in Ukraine.
The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament adopt its position at first reading taking over the European Commission's proposal, which aims to update Council Decision 2003/17/EC that grants equivalence to certain non-EU countries as regards field inspections and production of seed of certain species that are carried out in accordance with Council Directives 66/401/EEC, 66/402/EEC, 2002/54/EC, 2002/55/EC and 2002/57/EC. That equivalence system contributes to the maintenance of the continuous supply of high-quality seed in the Union.
Moldova has been included in the list of non-EU countries since 2018. Similarly, Ukraine joined this list in 2020 for seeds of different agricultural crops.
The requesting countries have their seed laboratories accredited by the International Seed Testing Association. This provides additional assurance on the quality of the inspections and the seed produced in those countries and their compliance with Union legislation.
Moreover, both Ukraine and Moldova have been admitted to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Seed Schemes for the Varietal Certification of Seed moving in International Trade, with respect to the seeds of the requested agricultural crops.
The Commission examined Ukraine's and Moldova’s relevant legislation, carried out audits of systems of official controls and seed certification, and found them appropriate to the EU legislation.
The report states that, after receiving additional documentation from the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, the Commission considered that all the recommendations made in the audit report had been addressed satisfactorily.