Romania Prepares For EU Accession
15 March 2006 Romania is rapidly adopting European legislation as the country approaches integration with the EU, according to a report from the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA-FAS). Legislation on food additives, food flavors, pesticides and residues, food contaminants, organic products, and biotech products has all been amended during the past year, as authorities are determined to move more quickly toward full EU accession, scheduled for 2007. Some of the regulations will be enforced at the moment of accession, while others will be enforced beforehand.
Generally, Romania adopts the international standards (Codex Alimentarius) on tolerance of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. The authority responsible for the registration of agricultural chemicals is the General Directorate for Environmental Protection within the Ministry of Environment and Waters Management.
Order 147/2004, issued by the Veterinary and Food Safety Authority and amended later through Order 82/2005, establishes the maximum residue levels (MRLs) of pesticides accepted in products of animal origin. The Veterinary Order 54/2005 transposes the EU regulation 2005/34/CE laying down the standards for the testing of certain residues in products of animal origin, as well as measures applied to shipments not conforming with EU legislation. According to this regulation, where results of analytical tests are at or above the minimum required performance limits (MRPLs) set by the Veterinary Order 51/2005 (transposing Decision 2002/657/EC), the consignment concerned will be treated as non-compliant with Romanian law.
Until October 1, 2006, when EC Rule 882/2004 will be enforced, the Romanian authorities will detain the non-conforming shipments and will order that such consignments be destroyed or re-dispatched outside Romania (provided it meets certain criteria of consent).
The MRLs of plants and vegetal products are laid down in Order 505/2005 issued by Ministry of Agriculture. The regulation includes a list of products of plant origin and the accepted MRL for each. Products detected with residues above those limits are not accepted in the food chain.
The main piece of legislation regulating biotechnology in Romania, Law 214 of April 19, 2002, which amended Ordinance 49/2000 on obtaining, testing, utilization, and commercialization of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as well as products derived from GMOs is still in place. However, it has been amended through Order 606/2005 of Ministry of Environment approving the format for presentation of results for releasing GMO plants for other purposes than commercialization. The second piece of legislation amending Law 214/2002 is Order 838/2005 of Ministry of Environment regarding the implementation of the Annex 12.2 “Monitoring Plan.”
Two other pieces of legislation relevant to biotech-related issues — Decision 106/February 2002 on labeling food derived from GMOs or containing genetically modified additives or derived from GMOs, and Order 462/2003 issued by Minister of Agriculture, Forests and Rural Development with provisions for tracing biotech products — are both still valid.
In addition, Ministry of Environment approved Order 923/2005 (transposing Directive 2001/18/EC), defining the summary notification regarding placing on the market the genetically modified organisms as or in products. The summary notification should be completed and submitted by the notifier to the Ministry of Environment, in both hard and electronic copies, in Romanian and English languages.
GOVERNMENTAL REGULATORY AGENCY CONTACTS
Provided by USDA-FAS
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Rural Development
24, Bd. Carol I, sector 3
Bucharest, Romania
Phone: 40 21 3072345
Fax: 40 21 3078635
Web site: www.maap.ro
The Ministry of Environment and Waters Management
12 Libertatii Blvd., Sector 5
Bucharest, Romania
Phone: 40 21 4100215
Fax.: 40 214100243
Website: www.mmediu.ro
The Ministry of Health
1-3, Cristian Popisteanu Str., sector 1, 010024
Bucharest, Romania
Phone: 40 21 3072500 or 40 21 3072600
Fax: 40 21 3141526
Web site: www.ms.ro
The National Sanitary-Veterinary and for Food Safety Authority
1B Negustori Street, sector 2
Bucharest, Romania
Phone: 40 21 3157875
Fax: 40 21 3124967
Website: www.ansv.ro
The National Authority for Consumers Protection
5 George Clemenceau St., Bucharest
Phone: 40 21 3121275
Fax: 40 21 3143462
Web site: www.anpc.ro
National Customs Authority
13 Matei Millo Street, Sector 1, Bucharest
Phone: 40 21 3155858; 40 21 3155859; 40 723565101; 40 723 565102; 40 723 565103
Fax: 40 21 313.82.51
Web site: www.customs.ro
National Agency for Improvement and Animal Breeding
59-63 Doctor Staicovici Street, Sector 5, Bucharest
Phone/Fax: 40 21 2221569
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.anarz.ro
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