90th Meeting of the Panel on Global Phytosanitary Affairs 

EPPO Headquarters, Paris, 2025-04-15/17

 

The EPPO Panel on Global Phytosanitary Affairs provides a forum for the EPPO Member Countries and their NPPOs to exchange information and develop harmonised views and positions on matters related to the International Plant Protection Convention. It also facilitates the preparation of the member governments for the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures. The list of the Panel Members and their terms of Reference is accessible on the EPPO website.

 

 

Photo of the Panel on Global Phytosanitary Affairs

 

The 90th meeting of the EPPO Panel on Global Phytosanitary Affairs was held in the EPPO Headquarters in Paris on 2025-04-15/17 and it was chaired by Ms Tikka, the Director-General of EPPO with the support of Mr Lucchesi, EPPO Scientific Officer. The meeting was attended by 15 Panel members appointed by EPPO Member Countries and by 2 observers.

 

The meeting focussed on the review of the draft IPPC Standards which will be discussed by the members of the IPPC Standards Committee (SC) and by the SC-7. The Panel studied the drafts to provide inputs from the EPPO region to European SC members. The following drafts were discussed:

 

  • Annex to ISPM 46 Commodity-specific standards for phytosanitary measures for International movement of fresh Musa spp. fruit
  • Revision of ISPM 26 Establishment of pest free areas for fruit flies (Tephritidae)
  • Annex on field inspection to ISPM 23 Guidelines for inspection

 

Photo of the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis, photo credit to Marcel Silvius

 

The following draft specifications which are in the SC May agenda were also reviewed and inputs were provided:

 

  • Annex Remote audits to ISPM 47 Audit in the phytosanitary context
  • Revision of ISPM 12 Phytosanitary certificates
  • Revision of ISPM 23 Guidelines for inspection

 

The draft Annex to ISPM 46 for fresh taro (Colocasia esculenta) for consumption and the annex to ISPM 38 International movement of seeds on design and use of systems approaches for phytosanitary certification of seeds are also proposed for discussion by the SC and SC-7 respectively. However the drafts could not be discussed as the documents were not yet available. A teleconference may be organized after the meeting when the drafts become available. The draft Standards and specifications discussed by the Panel may be shared by the IPPC Secretariat for country consultation in July 2025:

 

The Panel members were updated on recent IPPC discussions, including those of the CPM Bureau. The Panel also evaluated the 19th session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM-19) that was organized in Rome on 2025-03-17/21. The Panel appreciated its outcomes and highlighted the important issues for the EPPO region which need to be followed.

 

The Panel discussed the progress of a number of strategic issues, including how EPPO could assist its countries to carry out Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation. The Panel also considered the outcomes of the ongoing discussions of the CPM Focus Groups for Safe Provision of Food and Other Humanitarian Aid, Pest Outbreak Alert and Response System (POARS), Global Phytosanitary Research Coordination, Plant Health in the context of One Health, Sea Containers, and Climate change.

 

The next meeting of the EPPO Panel on Global Phytosanitary Affairs is planned to take place on 2025-09-08/10 in conjunction with the IPPC/FAO Regional Workshop for Europe and Central Asia on 2025-09-03/05 and both meetings will be held in Antalya (TR).