Royal Decree of 22 February 2021: New Belgian Royal Decree on protective measures against quarantine organisms in plants and plant products

Reporting Obligation

• Legislation: Phytosanitary Requirements/Restrictions/Prohibitions

Publication Date

29-03-2021

Last Updated

29-03-2021

Short Description

The Royal Decree of 22 February 2021 on protective measures against quarantine organisms in plants and plant products was published in the Belgian Official Journal on 24 March 2021.

It replaces the Royal Decree of 10 August 2005 (transposition of the repealed Directive 2000/29/EC) and provides for the federal competences of the Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment and the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain for additional provisions for the application in Belgium of:

• Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2016 on protective measures against pests of plants ('Plant Health Regulation') and
• Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products ("the Official Controls Regulation").

This new Royal Decree contains, among other provisions, rules on the use of plant passports and phytosanitary certificates, as well as amendments and abrogation of some existing decrees to bring the federal regulation into line with the new European plant health legislation and the related implementing acts, such as Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 of 28 November 2019 establishing uniform conditions for the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament and of the Council, as regards protective measures against pests of plants. This Implementing Regulation establishes the lists of the Union quarantine pests, PZ quarantine pests (protected zone), as well as the Union regulated non-quarantine pests (RNQPs) (regional competence).

In accordance with article 3 of the new Royal Decree of 22 February 2021, the Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment has been redesignated as the central body responsible for coordination and contacts with regard to the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).

Keywords

Commodity keywords

Report files

AR-KB 22/02/2021 (FR-NL)

Website

http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/eli/besluit/2021/02/22/2021040455/staatsblad

http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/eli/arrete/2021/02/22/2021040455/moniteur