EEE Veterinary Standards 2025: What Changes for Agrifood Exporters

Key data

Spanish exporters of agrifood products operating in the European Economic Area market have a concrete obligation as of 5 December 2025: to verify that their products comply with the new veterinary and phytosanitary legislation incorporated into the EEE Agreement through the Decision 259/2025 of the EEE Joint Committee.

This decision updates the Annex I of the EEE Agreement, which regulates veterinary and phytosanitary matters, incorporating new EU legislation so that EEE countries that are not EU members—Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein—apply exactly the same health standards as Member States. For Spanish companies, this means that the rules of the game in these three markets align with those of the EU, eliminating potential technical barriers to trade, but also requiring active compliance with the new requirements.

What does this regulation establish?

Decision 259/2025 amends Annex I of the Agreement on the European Economic Area, which is the legal framework regulating the health and phytosanitary conditions applicable in the EEE. The mechanism is as follows: when the EU approves new veterinary or phytosanitary legislation, the EEE Joint Committee must formally incorporate it into the EEE Agreement so that Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein also apply it.

With this decision, adopted on 5 December 2025, new EU legislation is incorporated into Annex I on:

• Veterinary standards applicable to products of animal origin
• Phytosanitary standards applicable to plant and food products

The practical result is that the three EEE countries that are not EU members are obliged to apply the same updated health requirements that govern in Spain and the rest of the EU Member States.

Economic and operational impact

For Spanish exporting companies, this update has a dual effect:

Opportunity: The harmonization of standards between the EU and the three EEE countries reduces regulatory complexity. If a company already complies with the current veterinary and phytosanitary legislation in Spain, it in principle operates under the same rules in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. This simplifies document management and reduces the risk of border rejections due to regulatory divergences.

Operational risk: The incorporation of new legislation into Annex I means that requirements may have changed from those the company was previously applying. If an exporting company has not updated its processes, certifications or documentation in accordance with the new EU legislation incorporated, it may find that its shipments do not meet the requirements demanded at destination, which can result in rejections, detentions or loss of market access.

The cost of inaction is direct: interruption of exports, merchandise return costs and possible loss of contracts with distributors in these markets.

Who does it affect?

• Companies exporting products of animal origin (meat, dairy, fish, eggs and derivatives) to Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein
• Exporters of plant and food products subject to phytosanitary controls to the non-EU EEE
• Companies in the agrifood sector operating in supply chains that include these three countries
• CFOs and operations directors responsible for managing health certifications and export documentation
• Advisors and consultants managing regulatory compliance for companies with export activity to the EEE

Practical example

A Spanish Iberian ham producer that regularly exports to Norway must verify that its health certificates and the controls applied in its production process comply with the new veterinary legislation incorporated into Annex I of the EEE Agreement through Decision 259/2025.

If the company had been operating with certifications based on the previous veterinary regulations and the new EU legislation incorporated into Annex I introduces additional requirements—for example, in terms of traceability, controls at origin or accompanying documentation—its shipments could be detained at the Norwegian entry point for not meeting the new required standards.

The concrete action in this case: review with the official veterinarian or quality manager whether current certification protocols cover the requirements of the most recent EU legislation on veterinary matters, which is now also the legislation required in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

What should companies do now?

1. Identify if you export to Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein animal or plant products subject to veterinary or phytosanitary controls. If so, this regulation directly affects you.
2. Review the new EU legislation incorporated into Annex I of the EEE Agreement through Decision 259/2025 to identify what specific requirements have changed from the previous regulations.
3. Verify that your health certifications and export documentation are updated in accordance with the new requirements. Coordinate this review with your official veterinarian, quality manager or foreign trade advisor.
4. Contact the competent authorities (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food or the corresponding regional health authority) if you have doubts about whether your products comply with the new standards required at destination.
5. Communicate the changes to your supply chain: distributors, agents at destination and logistics operators must be aware of the new requirements to avoid border incidents.