This Commission Delegated Regulation supplements Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council on organic production and labelling of organic products, as regards (i) the rules on the certificate of inspection, a document accompanying each consignment of organic products imported into the EU, and (ii) the official controls carried out by Member States before the release for free circulation in the Union of organic products originating from third countries.

Background

Regulation (EU) 2018/848 establishes that an organic or in-conversion product may be imported from a third country for the purpose of placing that product on the market within the Union, if the product complies with Union rules on organic production or comes from a third country or a control body or control authority whose organic production and control systems have been recognised as equivalent. The Regulation will enter into force on 1 January 2022.

To allow the competent authorities to check whether imported products are in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/848, the consignments of products intended for import should be covered by a certificate of inspection issued by the recognised control authority or control body in the third country after having carried out the relevant verifications of the consignments. In order to ensure it, supplementing rules are necessary.

Content

The Commission delegated act lays down rules concerning:

- the verification in third countries of consignments of products intended to be placed on the market in the Union as organic or in-conversion products. Each consignment should be covered by a certificate of inspection issued by the control authority or control body of the third country after the relevant verifications of the consignment have been carried out. That verification shall include systematic documentary checks and, as appropriate according to a risk assessment, physical checks, before the consignment leaves the third country of export or of origin;

- the content of the certificate of inspection , the way it is issued and the technical means used for its issuance. Those rules should also cover the obligations of the competent authorities in the Member States as regards the extract of the certificate of inspection. The inspection authority or body shall issue in the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) - the certificate of inspection in accordance with the model and notes in the Annex;

- the official controls on products entering the Union from third countries and intended to be placed on the Union market as organic products or as in-conversion products;

- investigative measures to be taken by competent authorities, control authorities and control bodies of third countries in case of suspected or established non-compliance with Regulation (EU) 2018/848;

- the obligations of control authorities and control bodies issuing the certificate of inspection in cases of unavailability of the TRACES as well as transitional provisions for paper certificates of inspection and extracts thereof.

The draft delegated act was discussed thoroughly with the Member States at the Group of Experts on Organic Production.