According to the press release published on the website of the Romanian customs administration, this year the control over the import of food products, especially of Ukrainian origin, will be strengthened.

Considering the provisions of GEO no. 126/2023, which included wheat or meslin flour and cane or beet sugar of Ukrainian origin in the license list for import into Romania, the Romanian Customs Administration (AVR) and the National Veterinary and Sanitary Administration (ANSVSA) will cooperate to ensure that there are no license requests, poor quality products or infestations that may affect the health of consumers will not enter the Romanian market. More precisely:

• AVR will provide information for ANSVSA inspectors on food imports, especially on products for which Romania applies for import licensing;

• ARV will provide ANSVSA with data on the transit of food products through Romania, as well as information on entries that may come from Ukraine;

• ANSVSA ensures that products that do not have the necessary licenses, are of low quality or contain contamination that may harm the health of the consumer do not enter the market.

In addition, business entities that import feed to Romania will be more strictly controlled. According to the draft order published on the ANSVSA website, importers of such products will be required to be authorized/registered as a veterinary and sanitary operator in the field of animal feeding. In addition, they will have to report the arrival of the feed cargo at the destination and keep records of the import and its subsequent distribution in the domestic market to ensure good traceability.

Channels covered by these new rules include:

• grain crops intended for feeding animals, included in Chapter 10 of the UKTZED;

• soybean oil and its fractions, whether or not refined, but not chemically modified;

• bran, trimmings and other residues, even agglomerated in the form of granules, from grinding, pressing, sieving or other processing processes of grains or legumes;

• mineral substances, not named and not included elsewhere.

What does this mean for importers?

To obtain a customs/sanitary veterinary visa and necessary licenses in a timely manner. In this way, they will avoid blocking the border, unwanted fines and even confiscation of products, as well as delays in deliveries if the products are imported.

The EY team is available for further information on the above and can help you review the sanitary-veterinary obligations in Romania applicable to your food/feed imports, can assist you in the process of obtaining different types of permits (e.g. TRACES NT, sanitary- veterinary permit/registration document) and sanitary-veterinary green wave through the TRACES NT system.

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EY is one of the world’s largest professional services firms, with 395,442 employees in more than 700 offices in 150 countries and revenues of approximately $49.4 billion for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023. Our network is globally integrated and its resources help us provide services for our customers to take advantage of opportunities around the world.

Present in Romania since 1992, EY provides, with the help of more than 1,000 employees in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, integrated audit services, tax, legal, strategic and transactional assistance, and advises multinational and local companies. We have offices in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, Iasi and Chisinau. In 2014, EY Romania joined the only global competition dedicated to entrepreneurship, EY Entrepreneur Of The Year. The winner of the local edition represents Romania in the world final, which takes place every June in Monte Carlo. In the global final, the title of World Entrepreneur Of The Year is awarded.

The article is signed by Mihai Petre, Global Trade Director, EY Romania, Cosmin Dinka, Global Trade Manager, EY Romania and Adriana Nedelescu, Global Trade Senior Consultant, EY Romania

Article supported by EY Romania