Products outside the EU–Türkiye customs union, namely agricultural products of HS chapters 01 to 24 and steel products of chapters 72 and 73, receive the preferential (reduced or zero) duty only with a proof of preferential origin; for these products Türkiye belongs to the pan-Euro-Mediterranean group. The proof is either an origin declaration drawn up by the exporter on the invoice or another commercial document (invoice declaration), or a EUR.1 or EUR-MED movement certificate that a competent public authority issues and the exporter provides. It is required when the import declaration is lodged, so the EU importer must hold it and be ready to present it to customs in the member state of import.
EU customs clearance of any product from Türkiye relies on a standard set of documents. The exporter prepares the commercial invoice, always required (no set form; original and at least one copy; English translation recommended), and a packing list of the packages, their contents, marks and weights. The transport document depends on the mode: bill of lading, FIATA bill of lading, CMR, air waybill or CIM rail waybill; ATA carnets cover temporary admission and TIR carnets road transit. An insurance invoice is needed only if the commercial invoice does not show the insurance premium. The goods are declared to EU customs with the electronic H1 import declaration, which now carries the customs value data (usually the transaction value) instead of the old DV1 form. A certificate of non-preferential origin is required only where the rules opening certain agricultural quotas say so; for measures such as anti-dumping duties, customs may ask for other proof of origin.
Food labelling: mandatory information for consumers
Food sold in the EU must carry the mandatory information of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011: the legal name of the food, the ingredients by descending weight with allergens highlighted, the quantity of key ingredients where required, the net quantity, a best-before or use-by date, any special storage or use conditions, the lot mark, the alcoholic strength of products with more than 1.2 % alcohol and, for processed food, a nutrition declaration (energy, fat, saturates, carbohydrate, sugars, protein, salt). Origin must be stated where omitting it could mislead, and for certain meats. On prepacked food these particulars go on the package or an attached label, clearly legible, indelible and written in the member state's official language(s), and must not mislead or claim to prevent or cure disease. Additional rules cover GM food, foods for specific groups, additives (category plus name or E number), spirit drinks, organic food and the origin of certain fresh meat.
Pesticide maximum residue levels (MRLs) in food of plant and animal origin
Plant and animal products intended for human consumption must respect the EU maximum residue levels (MRLs) for pesticides set under Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, which covers products such as fruit, vegetables, cereals, spices and animal products; the values are in its annexes and the EU Pesticides Database. Plant protection products may contain only active substances approved at EU level (Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009). Animals and animal products may be imported only from countries in Annex -I to Regulation (EU) 2021/405, which requires the country to submit a residue monitoring plan; the list is set per product category, and Türkiye is listed for certain categories. Member state authorities enforce MRLs through EU and national control programmes and sampling (Regulations (EU) 2025/854, 2021/1355 and 2021/2244), and some non-animal products from certain countries face increased checks at border control posts under Regulation (EU) 2019/1793.
Hygiene and border checks for food of non-animal origin
Food of non-animal origin must meet the hygiene rules of Regulation (EC) No 852/2004, which also bind food business operators in third countries: own safety monitoring, hygiene at every stage, HACCP-based procedures, registered or approved establishments and, for some products, microbiological criteria (Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005). Only food additives on the approved EU lists may be used. Under Regulations (EU) 2017/625 and 2019/1793, certain foods from certain countries face temporarily increased border checks (Annex I) or emergency measures (Annex II, with an official certificate from the competent authority of the country of origin or dispatch). These goods are notified to the border control post in advance with a Common Health Entry Document (CHED), and customs release them only against the certificate issued after the checks. For goods without a CHED, member states may require a notification of arrival in TRACES (Regulation (EU) 2024/2104).
Food with a contaminant at a toxicologically unacceptable level may not be placed on the EU market, and contaminants must be kept as low as good practice reasonably allows (Regulation (EEC) No 315/93). Regulation (EU) 2023/915 sets maximum levels, in foods such as nuts, dried fruit, cereals, spices, milk, fish and baby food, for mycotoxins (for example aflatoxins and ochratoxin A), plant toxins, metals, dioxins, PCBs and perfluoroalkyl substances, process contaminants like PAHs, and others including nitrates and melamine. A food listed in its Annex I that exceeds a limit may not be sold, used as an ingredient or blended with compliant food, nor chemically treated to strip out the contaminant. Specific EU measures target certain contaminants, such as aflatoxins, in food from certain third countries. Member state authorities check compliance under Regulations (EU) 2017/625 and 2022/932, and Regulation (Euratom) 2016/52 sets radioactivity limits after a nuclear accident.
EU authorisation for GM food and feed and for novel foods
Food or feed that consists of, contains or is produced from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) may be placed on the EU market, used or processed only if it is authorised and labelled under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003. The single EU-wide procedure starts with an application to a member state's competent authority, with a dossier and risk assessment prepared under Regulation (EU) No 503/2013; EFSA assesses the risk, the Commission proposes a decision and the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health approves it. Authorised products are entered in the EU register of GM food and feed, and authorisations last up to 10 years and can be renewed. A novel food, meaning one not eaten to any significant extent in the EU before 15 May 1997, may be sold only after a safety assessment and once it is on the Union list, under the conditions of use and labelling set there (Regulations (EU) 2015/2283 and 2017/2470).
Food and feed safety, traceability and importer responsibilities
Unsafe food or feed may not be placed on the EU market, and food and feed businesses must meet the obligations of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 at every stage of production and distribution. Imports must comply with EU food law or with conditions the EU recognises as at least equivalent, guaranteed by the exporting country's competent authority. Operators must be able to name their immediate supplier and immediate business customer (one step back, one step forward) and share this with the authorities on request; the rules stop at the EU border, but the EU importer must know who exported the product. Products must be labelled or identified to allow tracing, and stricter rules apply to goods such as animals, GMOs, fruit and vegetables, beef, fish, honey and olive oil. An operator with reason to believe imported food or feed is unsafe must start withdrawing it at once and inform the authorities.
Plant health controls and phytosanitary certificate
Plants, plant products and other items that can carry plant pests, such as wood or soil, enter the EU under the plant health rules of Regulations (EU) 2016/2031 and 2019/2072. Some are banned for the whole EU or for protected zones (Annex VI to Regulation (EU) 2019/2072), and high-risk plants are provisionally banned until assessed (Regulation (EU) 2018/2019). Goods listed in Annexes XI and XII to Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 need a phytosanitary certificate issued by the plant protection authority of the exporting country; from 6 July 2026, for plant reproductive material it must also state the measures taken against regulated non-quarantine pests. At the border control post of entry, goods undergo documentary, identity and physical checks at risk-based frequencies (Regulation (EU) 2022/2389), and the EU importer must be on a member state's official register. Wood packaging must be made of debarked wood, treated under ISPM 15 and bear its mark.
Organic products: certification and certificate of inspection (voluntary)
Selling a product as organic is voluntary, but any product bearing the EU organic logo or another reference to organic production must fully meet Regulation (EU) 2018/848: its production, processing, packaging, transport and storage rules, the GMO ban and operator certification. Imports qualify via a trade agreement recognising equivalence (Chile, Switzerland, the United Kingdom), via recognition of the exporting country until 31 December 2026 (Regulation (EU) 2021/2325) or, for other countries such as Türkiye, via certification by a control authority or body recognised by the EU (Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2021/1378). Each consignment needs a certificate of inspection issued in the exporting country under Regulation (EU) 2021/2306, which the importer submits in TRACES before arrival. Member state authorities check every consignment's documents, make random identity and risk-based physical checks, and endorse the certificate before release for free circulation.
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