European member states have sent clear signals that staff resources for official controls are increasingly limited, according to a report.
Any potential further reduction risks negatively affecting the levels and quality of controls and capacity to respond to emergencies. Resource shortage also concerned equipment in some member states for laboratories, or means of transport for staff, affecting performance of controls.
The report covers the outcome of official controls in member states during 2014 to 2016.
The European Commission said it took note of these signals and will consider such issues when developing legislation. It added member states will likely aim to address the problem with new IT systems, re-organization and optimized procedures.
The Official Controls Regulation (EU) 2017/625 applied from April 2017 with rules gradually coming into force and a main application date of Dec. 14, 2019.
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