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VPH issues in trading – Croatian experience

Country alignment and implementation capacity Chapter 12 – Food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy (all food safety aspects, veterinary and phytosanitary issues are covered in this negotiation chapter 12.)- reflects the EU's integrated approach to food safety aiming to assure a high level of food safety, animal health, animal welfare and plant health within the European Union through coherent farm-to-table measures and adequate monitoring, while ensuring the effective functioning of the internal market. The principal pre-requisites for a Candidate Country in this domain are the transposition of the EU legislation, and implementation by a properly structured and trained administration. Before acssession to the EU, the Republic of Croatia has applied the "vertical legislative approach" for food safety area. Croatia's general legislation on food safety covered all main areas of EU food law and makes out a good basis for the further work on achiving full compliance with EU requirements. The Acts and Ordinances provided the legal framework, but this legislation was only partially complied with the hygiene rules set by the acquis. Before acssession, the trade between Republic of Croatia and other countries was held in accordance with the requirements defined in international treaties that the Republic of Croatia concluded with these countries, especially as a member of CEFTA (Central European Free Trade Agreement) in accordance with the provisions of the Central European Free Trade Agreement. In accordance with such requirements, until the date of accession the trade of animal products between Croatia and other countries, was held with the conditions laid down in national legislation and in accordance with risk assessments that had been undertaken at the national level in relation to the movement of infectious animal diseases and assessment standards of veterinary public health in these countries. In order to be able to efficiently participate in the EU market and maintain measures and rules of the EU internal common market, Croatia has transposed, implemented and enforcemented the EU acquis for food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy, including the development of the relevant administrative capacities. Hence this has enabled a direct application of the provisions of EU Regulations to the Croatian market. The Competent authority of the Republic of Croatia has developed the registers in accordance with Council Directive 90/425/EEC and Council Directive 89/662/EEC and carried out a classification of all food establishments by category based on the EU acquis which serves as a basis for a future National Programme for the upgradement of food establishments. After completion of the assessment and categorisation, establishments were classified into two categories – EU compliant and EU non-compliant, by which the phase of evaluation has been completed. Since October 2007, when Ordinances transposing the EU regulations came into force, all newly approved establishments were in compliance with EU rules. Every establishment that was not compliant with EU legislation, was required to apply for a temporary approval to operate, provided that it submits to the competent authority an upgrading plan with deadlines for particular stages of rectifying noncompliances. The Upgrading Plans Assessment Commission, established by competent authority, reviews the submited documentation and assesses its compliance with the relevant EU legislation, and gives consent for the granting of a temporary approval to the establishment concerned. Such establishment could only place its products on the market of the Republic of Croatia and on the market of third countries. Croatia has also taken the necessary steps to ensure that, as required by European legislation, laboratories carrying out analyses of samples taken during official controls are accredited to the required standards and implemented general rules for the performance of official controls regularly, on a risk basis and with appropriate frequency to verify compliance with rules of feed and food law, animal heath and animal welfare rules. In respect of the control systems in the internal market, the basic challenge for Croatia was to move from a national control system to a system without controls at the internal EU borders but with an emphasis on controls at the place of origin and non-discriminatory controls during transport and at the place of destination. Croatia was faced with the task of maintaining the efficiency of the national control system until the day of accession and at the same time preparing well in advance for the introduction of the internal market control system. The transition from a control system protecting the national-only territory to the internal market control system required in particular: abolishing controls at the internal EU borders, as well as import licenses, strengthening the controls at the place of origin and controls at the external EU border, preserving the safety of other member states by all necessary means including the competence to block specific regions of Croatia. Once Croatia has acceded to the EU, Croatia started directly applying rules of application concerning import from third countries (lists of approved countries, lists of countries with an approved residue control plan) and with whom the trade has been defined by international agreements concluded by the European Union. From 17 veterinary BIPs in the Republic of Croatia at which border inspectors were constantly present Croatia has selected seven posts to be permanent border veterinary inspection posts (BIPs), of which 4 of them are at road border crossing, 2 are at seaports and 1 is at an airport. For the Republic of Croatia in the field of trade but also in the entire food safety system two significant changes occurred. The Republic of Croatia has become part of a single internal European market where there are no barriers to trade and to which special rules apply to trade in animals and animal products and at the same time the external borders of the Croatian became a part of the external border of the European Union (the Republic of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro) where inspections (veterinary, phytosanitary and sanitary) were carried out to determine whether the animal and the product which is imported from third countries into the European Union meet the high standards of food safety and hygiene that apply in the European Union.

VPH; trading; legislations

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