Changes between two versions
What changed between the plenary report and the adopted text
From · plenary report· 25 Mar 2025
on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Decision 2003/17/EC as regards the equivalence of field inspections carried out in the Republic of Moldova on fodder plant seed-producing crops and on the equivalence of fodder plant seed produced in the Republic of Moldova, and as regards the equivalence of field inspections carried out in Ukraine on beet seed-producing crops and oil plant seed-producing crops and on the equivalence of beet seed and oil plant seed produced in Ukraine
To · adopted text· 22 May 2025
Granting equivalence to Moldova and Ukraine for field inspections and seed production
AI:What changed, in short
The versions differ only in formal points: the recitals and rapporteur's explanation are replaced by the adopted text reference and final act citation.1
0 changes of substance · 1 formal · 0 of wording only
Written by AI from the two texts only · read the changes before relying on it · 4 Sept 2026 · Report a problem
Changes to the text itself, in document order. Cover page, citations and punctuation-only edits are left out; they are under “Every difference”.
Changes of substance · 0
None: the changes are formal or of wording only.
1 formal change: legal basis, citations, references, corrections
Change 1 Formal
AI summary:Replaces the recitals and explanatory text with the final legislative act reference and the Parliament's position statement.
Show the text change (12 lines)
Removed:Recital 3: (3) The Commission examined the relevant legislation of the Republic of Moldova. It also carried out in 2016 an audit of the system of official controls and of certification of cereal, vegetable and oil and fibre plant seed in the Republic of Moldova and published its findings in a report4. Following the receipt of additional documentation from the Republic of Moldova, the Commission considered that all recommendations made in the audit report had been addressed in a satisfactory manner. On the basis of the audit, the Commission concluded that the national authorities responsible for the implementation of seed certification in the Republic of Moldova are competent, have adequate facilities in place, and operate appropriately. Those authorities are also responsible for field inspections of seed-producing fodder plants and for the certification of seed of fodder plants.
Added:P10_TC1-COD(2024)0027
Removed:Recital 7: (7) The Commission examined the relevant legislation of Ukraine. It also carried out an audit in 2015 of the system of official controls and of certification of cereal seed in Ukraine and published its findings in a report6. Following the receipt of additional documentation from Ukraine, the Commission considered that all recommendations made in the audit report had been addressed in a satisfactory manner. On the basis of the audit, the Commission concluded that the national authorities responsible for the implementation of seed certification in Ukraine are competent, have adequate facilities in place, and operate appropriately. Those authorities are also responsible for the field inspections of seed-producing crops of beet, sunflower, swede rape and soya bean, and for the certification of seed of those crops.
Added:Position of the European Parliament adopted at first reading on 22 May 2025 with a view to the adoption of Decision (EU) 2025/… of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Decision 2003/17/EC as regards the equivalence of field inspections carried out in the Republic of Moldova on seed-producing fodder plant crops and on the equivalence of fodder plant seed produced in the Republic of Moldova, and as regards the equivalence of field inspections carried out in Ukraine on seed-producing beet crops and seed-producing oil plant crops and on the equivalence of beet seed and oil plant seed produced in Ukraine
Added:(As an agreement was reached between Parliament and Council, Parliament's position corresponds to the final legislative act, Decision (EU) 2025/1228.)
Removed:The Rapporteur welcomes the European Commission proposal, which aims to update Council Decision 2003/17/EC that grants equivalence to certain non-EU countries as regards field inspections and production of seed of certain species that are carried out in accordance with Council Directives 66/401/EEC, 66/402/EEC, 2002/54/EC, 2002/55/EC and 2002/57/EC. The legal basis of this act is the Article 43(2) of the TFEU. That equivalence system contributes to the maintenance of the continuous supply of high quality seed in the Union.
Removed:The Republic of Moldova has been included in the list of non-EU countries since 2018. Similarly, Ukraine joined this list in 2020 for seeds of different agricultural crops.
Removed:The requesting countries have their seed laboratories accredited by the International Seed Testing Association. This provides additional assurance on the quality of the inspections and the seed produced in those countries and their compliance with Union legislation.
Removed:Moreover, both Ukraine and Moldova have been admitted to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Seed Schemes for the Varietal Certification of Seed moving in International Trade, with respect to the seeds of the requested agricultural crops.
Removed:Lastly, the Commission examined Ukraine's and Moldova’s relevant legislation, carried out audits of systems of official controls and seed certification, and found them appropriate to the EU legislation.
Removed:The Rapporteur supports the Commission’s proposal and suggest adopting it with the two factual and technical amendments related to the inspections. These amendments aim to ensure, in the long term, products entering single market fully comply with EU production requirements.
Removed:As set out in the Commission’s proposal, all conditions are met in order to grant the equivalence to the Ukraine and Moldova. Given the evolving needs of the agricultural sector and international trade in high-quality seed production, as well as the importance of fostering global collaboration, the proposal should enhance the trade of seeds that complies with the Union regulations.