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Import prohibitions and surveillance are maintained on, inter alia, sanitary, phytosanitary, and environmental grounds.

Genetically modified seed varieties (and other plant-propagating material) must be granted an authorization for cultivation only after a positive assessment by the EFSA, including the environmental risk assessment carried out by a competent national authority that no unacceptable risks to the environment or human health is likely to appear.

The EC has established traceability requirements for GM food and feed to facilitate the withdrawal of products in case of unforeseen adverse effects on human and animal health, or the environment, and to facilitate labelling of GMOs.

Under the new-approach directives, product regulations at the Community level are limited to the setting up of essential requirements defined to meet health, safety and environmental objectives.

In non-harmonized areas, goods lawfully produced in one country should be allowed to be marketed in any other Member State, even when the product does not fully comply with technical rules of the Member State of destination, except where the latter can show that departure from this principle is strictly necessary for the protection of, inter alia, public health or environment.

In August 2008, the European Commission adopted a General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER), which authorizes, inter alia, environmental protection aid.

Under the EC guidelines for state aid in the forestry subsector, support may be approved for ecological, protective (phytosanitary measures), and recreational functions; national aid for afforestation campaigns and establishment of agri-forestry systems may also be authorized.

Under the current "cross-compliance" rules, aid to farmers is linked to the respect of environmental, animal welfare, and food quality standards.

Under the Single Payment Scheme introduced with the CAP reform in 2003-4, farmers may still receive, in addition to the Single Payment Scheme, aid under other specific support schemes (direct payments) if they meet certain standards concerning public, animal and plant health, as well as the environment and animal welfare.

Member States applying the Single Payment Scheme may retain up to 10% of their national budget ceilings for direct payments and use them for environmental measures.