As of today, no fruit can be imported into the EU without a license

Infections harmful to vegetables and plants will be prevented from entering the EU by stricter regulation, the hvg.hu reported. Saturday’s restriction also applies to items for individual consumption.

EU rules may delay entry to Serbia and Ukraine on Saturday, as parcels from two non-EU countries are subject to mandatory inspection, but strict rules will be applied to plants imported from all non-EU countries. Even a kilo of apples or grapes can cause delay if any plant health permits are missing.

The necessary inspection is carried out by the competent authority of the country of origin, which issues the certificate. If such document accompanies vegetables, plants and shows no signs of disease, the parcel may be imported. The list of plants to which the new rules apply can be found here.

From now on, the regulation requires mandatory baggage screening and stricter regulations than in the case of vegetables and plants being imported in small quantities. This means that for some plants, even one crop can only be sent from a third country to the European Union subject to a phytosanitary certificate.