EAEU and Europe negotiate new phytosanitary standards — Kazakhstan at the center of these changes

Behind the technical formulations about "phytosanitary measures" lies a practical meaning: rules that determine what and how can be moved across borders directly affect Kazakh exporters, importers, and farmers.

The essence in brief

• The EEC is developing a cooperation program with the EPPO for 2026–2028. Areas: exchange of data on new rules, EEC participation in EPPO sessions as an observer, joint seminars and trainings.
• On the agenda — standards for new plant protection products, updating lists of regulated pests, and digitalization of phytosanitary control, including electronic certificates e-Phyto.
• The EAEU is already easing a number of requirements: it has been proposed to exclude the requirement for the absence of pepino mosaic virus for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants while maintaining general phytosanitary control.
• A risk management system with an integral index has been introduced during primary quarantine control — this reduces the time required for procedures during import.
• Specific mandatory rules for business will appear after the program is approved — for now it is at the discussion stage.

What the EPPO is and why the EAEU should cooperate with it

The European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization is an intergovernmental structure uniting 53 states. Its standards are not binding for EAEU countries, but de facto they serve as a benchmark: it is the EPPO that forms the lists of quarantine pests, determines methods for their detection, and develops plant protection protocols that are then adapted into national and regional norms.

For the EAEU, which trades agricultural products with European countries, synchronization with these standards is a matter of market access. If a European buyer requires confirmation of the absence of a specific pest, and a Kazakh exporter does not have the relevant documentation or testing protocol, the deal will not happen.

Digitalization: e-Phyto instead of paper certificates

One of the key practical results of the EEC's international cooperation is the promotion of electronic phytosanitary certificates e-Phyto. Currently, when exporting plant products to third countries, a paper certificate is required, which is often issued with delays and creates bottlenecks in logistics.

e-Phyto is an international standard for the electronic exchange of phytosanitary certificates between countries in real time. For Kazakh exporters of grain, oilseeds, and fruit and vegetable products, the transition to an electronic format means reduced processing time and lower risk of delays at the border.

How this relates to domestic changes in Kazakhstan

The international agenda does not exist in isolation from what is happening within the country. We have already written that Kazakhstan is introducing mandatory quarantine certificates for the transportation of agricultural products between regions — this reflects the same logic: phytosanitary control is being tightened both at the interstate and domestic levels.

At the same time, Kazakhstan is moving toward expanding access to international breeding: the country is considering joining UPOV — the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants. This is another element of the same system: access to quality varieties is impossible without the appropriate legal and phytosanitary infrastructure.

For business: what is changing right now

While the new EEC–EPPO program for 2026–2028 is still being discussed, a number of changes have already come into force or are being prepared for entry into force. First, the EAEU has introduced a risk management system with an integral index during primary quarantine control: this means selective rather than total inspection of imported products — fewer delays for conscientious suppliers. Second, it has been proposed to ease requirements regarding pepino mosaic virus for tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants — practically significant for importers of these crops. Third, the lists of regulated pests are being updated — this may affect requirements for products both during import and export.

Author's conclusion

Phytosanitary regulation is one of those areas where technical work directly determines commercial opportunities. The new EAEU and EPPO program for 2026–2028 is not a bureaucratic document but a tool for synchronizing standards on which access of Kazakh products to European markets depends. Digitalization of control, updating pest lists, real-time data exchange — all of this ultimately affects how quickly and smoothly Kazakh grain, vegetables, and fruits cross the border