Veterinary and Phytosanitary Rules EEA 2025: What Changes for Exporters

Key data

Spanish agri-food exporters and importers with activity in the European Economic Area have an immediate obligation: to review whether their certifications and procedures comply with the new veterinary and phytosanitary requirements that the Decision No. 257/2025 of the EEA Joint Committee has extended to Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

This decision, adopted on 5 December 2025 and published on 16 April 2026, amends Annex I of the EEA Agreement, which regulates veterinary and phytosanitary matters applicable in the common area. The practical result: new EU legislation on animal and plant health becomes mandatory in the three EEA countries that are not members of the European Union.

What does this regulation establish?

The Agreement on the European Economic Area allows Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein to participate in the EU internal market without being members. To do so, they must periodically incorporate EU legislation into their legal systems. The mechanism is the EEA Joint Committee, which adopts incorporation decisions.

Decision 257/2025 updates Annex I of the EEA Agreement, which specifically covers veterinary and phytosanitary matters. This means that new EU legislation on:

• Animal health: rules on diseases, animal movement, controls and certifications.
• Plant health: phytosanitary requirements, pests, treatments and documentation for plant products.

...now applies in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein from 5 December 2025. Companies operating in these markets must align their processes with the same standards already applied in intra-EU trade.

Economic and operational impact

The impact is not abstract regulatory: it translates into concrete operational consequences for any company moving products of animal or plant origin between Spain and the three non-EU EEA countries.

The main vectors of impact are:

• Certifications: Current health certifications may not be sufficient or may need to be updated to reflect the new requirements incorporated into Annex I.
• Border controls: Border inspection posts in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein will apply the new standards. Incomplete or outdated documentation may result in detention or rejection of goods.
• Import and export conditions: Market access conditions may have changed for certain categories of animal or plant products. Check whether exported products continue to meet entry requirements.
• Trade barriers due to non-compliance: Failure to adapt to the new requirements may result in loss of effective access to these markets, with the consequent impact on revenue and existing contracts.

Who does it affect?

This regulation directly affects:

• Agri-food export companies that sell to Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein: meat, dairy, fishery, fruit and vegetable products, among others.
• Import companies that bring products of animal or plant origin from these three countries.
• Livestock companies that participate in supply chains with operators from non-EU EEA countries.
• Logistics and customs operators that manage health and phytosanitary documentation in operations with these markets.
• Foreign trade advisors and consultants who advise clients with activity in the EEA.
• Quality and regulatory departments of agri-food companies with presence in these markets.

Practical example

A Spanish meat product export company that regularly sells to distributors in Norway currently has a health certificate that complied with the requirements of the EEA Agreement in force until Decision 257/2025.

Following the entry into force of this decision on 5 December 2025, Norway incorporates new EU legislation on animal health into Annex I of the EEA Agreement. If that new legislation modifies the health certificate models or introduces additional control requirements, the Spanish exporter must update its documentation before the next shipment.

If the exporter does not review the changes and presents documentation based on the previous requirements, the Norwegian border inspection post may detain or reject the goods, generating storage, return or product destruction costs, in addition to contractual breaches with the customer.

The preventive action is simple: contact the competent Spanish authority (Ministry of Agriculture) and the Norwegian importer to verify which certifications are valid under the new requirements of the updated Annex I.

What should companies do now?

1. Identify if you operate with Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein in products of animal or plant origin. If so, this regulation directly affects you and the review is urgent, given that entry into force was 5 December 2025.
2. Review current health and phytosanitary certifications for your exports or imports with these countries. Check whether the certificate models remain valid under the updated Annex I.
3. Contact the competent Spanish authority — the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food — to obtain information on which EU legislation has been incorporated and what specific changes it implies for your sector.
4. Communicate with your counterparts in the affected EEA countries (importers, distributors, logistics operators) to verify what documentation they require under the new requirements.
5. Update internal procedures for health and phytosanitary documentation if changes are detected in the requirements applicable to your products.
6. Monitor future decisions of the EEA Joint Committee that may incorporate additional legislation into Annex I, given that these updates are periodic and may affect your operations on a recurring basis.

Official source

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about Decision 257/2025 of the EEA Joint Committee and its potential impact on agri-food trade with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. It is not legal advice. The information is based on the official decision and the EEA Agreement framework. For specific guidance on your company's obligations, consult the competent Spanish authority (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) or a specialized legal advisor in foreign trade law. The author and publisher are not responsible for the use of this information or for any damages arising from its application without professional legal advice.