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3.199. Since 2013, the Commission has been implementing an EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, setting out a framework and mechanisms for the EU's preparedness for current and future climate impacts (Section 4.2). The Commission invited the ESOs to contribute to EU efforts to make Europe more climate-resilient. In 2018, the Commission published an evaluation of the initial five years of the implementation of the Strategy, encompassing, among others, the progress on standardization.

3.201. The work included, among others, the development of tailored guidance for the technical committees. The guidance is to provide information on the availability and use of climate data, including recommendations for dealing with uncertainty, as well as approaches for vulnerability assessment and adaptation based on best practices and experience gained during the project.

3.202. In 2016, CEN and CENELEC developed and published a "Guide for addressing climate change adaptation in standards". The Guide is intended to help standard writers address the consequences and implications of climate change. It includes a simple checklist to help establish whether climate change adaptation is relevant to a particular standardization activity and a decision tree to help identify which actions should be taken.

3.203. As regards the mitigation of climate change, the objective is that both the standards developed by ESOs (CEN/CENELEC/ETSI) and the legal minimum requirements in EU law work towards the reduction of CO2 emissions. For instance, the EU Regulation on tyres labelling, which aims to improve fuel efficiency, safety and noise by providing better information to consumers when they buy tyres, relies on standards for measuring rolling resistance, wet grip and noise

3.205. (...) Since 2010, RAPEX also covers professional products and products that pose risks other than those relating to health and safety, such as risks to the environment. (...)

3.209. (...) The EU also submitted one notification under Article 10.7 regarding the Agreement between the EU and Chile on trade in organic products.

3.210. During the review period, the TBT Committee received 13 new specific trade concerns regarding measures taken by the EU or its member States: eco-design requirements for electronic displays; chlorothalonil (pesticide active substance); transitional periods for minimum residue limits (MRLs) and international consultations; organic production and labelling - maté (erva-mate); (...) amendments to Directive 2009/28/EC, Renewable Energy Directive; (...)

Table 3.21 Principal SPS legislation, 2019
Legislation: Regulation (EC) No. 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and laying down procedures in matters of food safety
Note: The General Food Law. (...) The amendment of the Law by Regulation (EU) No. 2019/1381 of the European Parliament and the Council on the transparency and sustainability of the EU risk assessment in the food chain, (...)
(...)
Legislation: Regulation (EC) No. 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 on official controls performed to ensure the verification of compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal welfare rules
Note: (...) The Regulation sets out general rules for the performance of official controls to verify compliance with rules aiming, in particular, at: (a) preventing, eliminating or reducing to acceptable levels risks to humans and animals, either directly or through the environment; (...)

3.218. The Commission is responsible for developing draft proposals for implementing acts. (...) In addition, five other committees are also responsible for specific SPS-related issues:
• Regulatory Committee under Directive 2001/18/EC on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms (GMOs);
• Regulatory Committee under Directive 2009/41/EC on the contained use of GMOs;
(...)

3.219. The EFSA, established under the General Food Law of 2002, is an independent agency responsible for risk assessment for food and feed safety, nutrition, animal health and welfare, plant protection, and plant health, as well as, through environmental risk assessments, the possible impact of the food chain on biodiversity. (...)