Presidency scores with regime for coordination and evaluation of plant pest risk assessment

The aim was to give the processing of risk assessment documents a solid procedural basis while respecting the current legal framework and the availability of resources within the EU. The rules also provide for the previously lacking method for accelerated pre-assessment of unexpected risks, which is the first step for a rapid adoption of emergency measures against plant pests in the Community.

The rules adopted represent a vital contribution to improving the transparency of the use of scientific material, and particularly documents on the assessment of plant pest risk in the context of the decision-making process on Community phytosanitary measures. The Member States, the European Commission and the Permanent Phytosanitary Committee of the Commission will abide by these rules when addressing relevant situations.

The objective is to set out harmonised procedures for everything that is currently going on at EU level in the field of evaluation and management of plant pest risk. The rules are intended to give the processing of risk assessment documents a solid procedural basis while respecting the current legal framework and the availability of resources within the EU. They also provide for the previously lacking method for accelerated pre-assessment of unexpected risks, on the basis of which it will be possible to rapidly adopt emergency measures against plant pests in the Community.
The rules govern not only processing documents containing plant pest risk assessments but also other documents that provide scientific and technical reasons for creating a decision-making process for risk management within the EU. These rules set out to unify the procedures for processing the stated documents, including assessment and revision. The rules also determine the roles of individual partners, i.e. the EU Member States, the European Commission and the European Food Safety Authority, in the process of preparation of risk assessments in relation to organisms harmful to plants.

By approving and adopting the rules for coordination and processing documents containing plant pest risk assessment and other documents providing scientific and technical reasons supporting decision-making concerning phytosanitary measures at EU level the Czech Presidency successfully concluded the discussions on solutions to issues concerning risk analysis of organisms harmful to plants initiated at Community level already in 2002.

The ambitious proposal from the Czech Presidency was received positively by the Member States. It gained wide support and was discussed constructively in May and June 2009 at formal and informal meetings of the Council Working Party on Plant Health. On 12 June 2009 it was adopted unanimously by the Council Working Party of Chief Officers of Plant Health Services. 

The adoption of the rules is a distinct success for the Czech Presidency in the phytosanitary area. It completes years of discussions in the EU about the use of documents on plant pest risk assessment as part of the EU decision process on plant health measures.