EU-Chile agreement on trade in organic products

KEY POINTS

Equivalence

• For organic production and its associated control systems, the EU and Chile recognise the equivalence (capability to meet the same objectives) of each other’s laws and regulations, as well as inspection and certification systems.
• The products concerned are listed in the agreement’s annexes. The agreement covers EU products such as:
  • unprocessed plant products,
  • live animals,
  • unprocessed animal products (including honey),
  • aquaculture products and seaweeds,
  • processed agricultural products for use as feed or food (including wine),
  • vegetative propagating material¹ and
  • seeds for cultivation.
• Any amendments to the lists of products covered by the agreement are approved by the European Commission on behalf of the EU following consultation with Chile and the EU countries.

Import and export

Each party accepts products listed in the annexes from the other party under the following conditions:

• imports into the EU must comply with the laws and regulations of Chile listed in Annex IV and be accompanied by a certificate of inspection in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1235/2008, an implementing act as regards the arrangements for imports of organic products from ‘third’ (non-EU) countries;
• imports to Chile must comply with the EU laws and regulations listed in Annex III and be accompanied by a certificate issued by an appropriate Chilean or EU authority in accordance with the rules set out by the National Directorate of the Agricultural and Livestock Service in Chile.

Labelling

• Products must meet the legal labelling requirements of the importing party and may carry the EU organic logo, the Chilean organic logo or both. The organic logos currently used by the EU and Chile for their products are also protected.
• The parties agree not to misuse labelling terms, including derivatives such as ‘bio’ and ‘eco’.

Information, reporting and management

• The parties exchange annual reports on how the agreement is being applied, including:
  • information on the types and quantities of organic products exported under the agreement;
  • monitoring and supervision activities carried out by the competent authorities, the results obtained and corrective measures taken.
• With at least 3 months’ notice, officials or experts from the other party conduct peer reviews to verify that the checks required under the agreement are being applied.
• A Joint Committee on Organic Products, formed from representatives of the parties (i.e. Chile and the EU), has responsibilities including:
  • managing the agreement;
  • examining requests to update or extend the list of products covered by the agreement;
  • enhancing cooperation on laws, regulations, standards and conformity-assessment procedures to increasing convergence;
  • resolving disputes between the parties relating to the interpretation or application of the agreement.