#52026AG0007(02)EU forest reproductive material rules move toward final adoption
AI-generated summary for informational purposes only. Not legal advice. See the original source for the authoritative text.
This law will replace the old EU rules on forest reproductive material, such as seeds and plants used to grow forests. It updates quality, traceability, and control requirements for the forestry supply chain, with a stronger focus on registered source material, official checks, and consistency across Member States. It affects forest operators, nurseries, seed suppliers, national authorities, and importers from third countries. The new system keeps some flexibility for Member States, delays application for five years after entry into force, and changes how imports and emergency shortages from outside the EU can be handled.
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Key Changes
- Replaces the old directive with a new EU regulation on forest reproductive material.
- Creates a more tailored control system, with national authorities responsible for official checks and selected rules pulled in from the EU official controls framework.
- Delays application for five years and changes the rules for imports from third countries, including temporary authorisation in shortage situations.
Obligations
What this law requires
Member States must designate competent authorities with adequate resources and powers, including access to operator premises and relevant documentation, to carry out official controls on forest reproductive material.
Member States must include approved basic material in their national registers, and this information must be reflected in an EU-wide list for traceability.
Operators and authorities must maintain written records of controls, as the FRM control system incorporates record-keeping requirements adapted from Regulation (EU) 2017/625.
Forest reproductive material imported from third countries must meet requirements equivalent to those applicable in the Union, unless a temporary derogation is granted by the Commission at the request of a Member State due to a demonstrable shortage caused by exceptional events.
When a Member State requests it, the Commission may temporarily authorise imports from a third country that does not meet EU-equivalent requirements only where there is a demonstrable shortage of species in one or more Member States caused by exceptional events and the shortage cannot be addressed by equivalent third countries.