Negotiations with representatives of Rosselhoznadzor General Director of European Commission of Health and Consumer Protection, with the participation of representatives of EU State members

Withing the frames of the International Agricultural Exhibition-Fair "Green Week 2011" on Jan. 19, 2011 in Berlin at the initiative of the Russian side talks with representatives of Rosselhoznadzor and  General  Director of European Commission  of Health and Consumer Protection  with the participation of representatives of EU state members were held (France, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Poland, Denmark) concerning the questions of phytosanitary security provision.

The sides discussed the signing of the Memorandum of ensuring phytosanitary safety during the mutual supplying  of planting materials.

For elaboration of the texts of the Memorandum project  suggested earlier by the Russian side and the day before the meeting, presented by the European side, the Russian side had suggested to establish a working group of representatives of the Parties. And, according to the Russian side, not only lawyers from the European side, but also experts in the field of plant quarantine should be there in the group.

Taking into account the currently existing restrictions on imports from Russia to EU countries, under Directive 2000/29/EC, plants of the Siberian cedar, juniper, pine, apple, plum, pear, the Russian side suggested that the European side should take measures in revising laws regarding the abolishment of those restrictions, and also pointed to the lack of scientific evidence, and to reflect  in the Memorandum the specific phytosanitary requirements which the planting material must meet.

In addition, the Russian side emphasized  the need for a differentiated approach to the phytosanitary requirements for planting material, depending on the biological characteristics of pests, such as viruses and bacteria.

According to the proposal of the Russian side, the mutual supply of planting materials should be carried out only in accordance with the provisions of the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures ISPM № 4, "Requirements for the establishment of free zones" (Rome, 1996) from the free zones established on the results of jointly examined by experts of the two countries and nurseries adjacent territories.

The Russian side has proposed to revise the validity of phytosanitary certificates, established by the European Commission within 14 days from the date of their issue until the date of crossing the border of Russia, taking into account not only Russian distances, but also the need of scientific studying  of possible changes in pest status of products during transportation through the territory of Russia.

The Russian side has informed the European side, about of  1,305 cases of identify twenty species of pests of quarantine significance for Russia in 2005. Only from September 2010 until the end of the year in thirty cases  were detected infection of ware potatoes which have arrived from France, Holland, Belgium, volume 4500 tons - the golden potato cyst nematode.

Along with ineffective control system phytosanitary condition of products delivered to the Russian Federation, it is promoted by the signed with the presence of seals of state authorities but  not filled blanks of phytosanitary certificates, in particular, the Slovak Republic. The Russian side has demonstrated during the negotiations the originals of such blanks.

In this regard, the parties also discussed the issue of responsibility for the phytosanitary state of production of the country - suppliers to the Russian Federation and in countries in which the registration shipping documents was carried out.

Often, under quarantine products  are accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate of one of EU countries, waybill executed in another EU country and its customs clearance performed in a third EU country. At the same time an additional loading with pest control products which were not controlled  and the opportunity to re-infection or contamination quarantine organisms previously submerged production in the country issuing the phytosanitary certificate for products destined for export to the Russian Federation are possible.

Such system of ensuring the certification is against the International Convention on Plant Protection, according to which the country that issued phytosanitary certificates is responsible for its phytosanitary state prior to export.

The responsibility is blurred, since, according to shipping documents and seals accompanying the products, the exporter in another country.

However, in case of  revealing quarantine pests for Russia in the coming products, the countries EU -members issued phytosanitary certificates will not accept responsibility for it, because they had not made shipping documents and had not performed sealing.

The Russian side has informed the European side that reserves the right to address the issue of establishing a transition period to deal with the European side on this problem by adapting its system to ensure phytosanitary safety in accordance with their obligations under the International Convention on Plant Protection.

The talks were held in a friendly and constructive atmosphere

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