EU Secures US Market Access for Certain Plants

Producers from 21 EU Member States will soon gain access to the US market for certain plants, following successful negotiations by the European Commission to remove US import restrictions.

On June 12, 2024, after years of discussions, the US issued its final Notice recognizing 21 EU Member States as 'country free' from two plant pests: the Asian long-horned beetle (ALB) and the Citrus long-horned beetle (CLB). This achievement results from extensive engagement with the US, including efforts by Commission Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis to lift these trade barriers.

The lifting of these restrictions benefits the 21 Member States in various ways. Previously, Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands could only export plants for planting with a stem diameter under 10 mm; now they can export plants without any such limitations. Additionally, the remaining 18 Member States can apply to export certain plants for planting under the new trade facilitation conditions.

This development highlights the collaborative efforts between the EU and the US to ensure the safe and high-quality trade of agricultural products. The Commission continues to work with the US on further requests to recognize 'country free' status for Finland and Austria, and 'pest-free area' status for Croatia, France, Germany, and Italy.

In 2013, a US Federal Order classified the EU as affected by ALB and CLB, despite these pests being absent in most EU Member States and under strict control and regulation within the EU. Since 2012, the EU has consistently requested through the EU-US joint working group on plant health that the US lift this trade barrier and acknowledge those EU Member States as pest-free, as well as recognize the regulated pest-free areas within the EU.

In 2023, the EU exported over €36 million worth of live plants to the US, a figure expected to rise significantly now that the restrictions have been lifted.

Article source: https://policy.trade.ec.europa.eu/news/eu-gains-us-market-access-certain-plants-2024-06-26_en

Photo attribution: Gouwenaar, 20180420 Tweede Exloermond, CC BY-SA 4.0