COUNCIL DECISION (EU) 2025/1213

of 12 June 2025

on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Council of Members of the International Olive Council (IOC) as regards the trade standard for olive oils and olive pomace oils

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 207(4), first subparagraph, in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

(1) The International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, 2015 (‘the Agreement’) was signed on behalf of the Union in accordance with Council Decision (EU) 2016/1892 (1) on 18 November 2016, subject to its conclusion at a later date. The Agreement entered into force provisionally on 1 January 2017 in accordance with Article 31(2) thereof and was concluded by the Union by way of Council Decision (EU) 2019/848 (2).

(2) Pursuant to Article 7(1) of the Agreement, the Council of Members of the International Olive Council (‘the Council of Members’) may take decisions and adopt recommendations for the application of the provisions of the Agreement.

(3) During its 121st session, to be held in July 2025, the Council of Members is to adopt a decision amending the trade standard for olive oils and olive pomace oils.

(4) The decision to be adopted during the 121st session of the Council of Members has been extensively discussed between scientific and technical experts on olive oil of the Commission and of the Member States. That decision will contribute to the international harmonisation of standards for olive oils and will establish a framework which will ensure fair competition in the trading of products of the olive oil sector. The Union should therefore support the adoption of that decision.

(5) It is appropriate to establish the position to be taken on behalf of the Union within the Council of Members, as the amending decision to be adopted will have legal effects on the Union as regards international trade with the other members of the International Olive Council (IOC) and will be capable of decisively influencing the content of Union law, namely on marketing standards for olive oil adopted by the Commission pursuant to Article 75 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3).

(6) If the adoption of the decision at the 121st session of the Council of Members is postponed, as a result of some Members not being in a position to give their approval, the position set out in the Annex to this Decision should be taken on behalf of the Union within the framework of a possible procedure for adoption by the Council of Members by exchange of correspondence, pursuant to Article 10(6) of the Agreement, provided that such a procedure is initiated before the next regular session of the Council of Members in November 2025.

(7) It should, however, be possible for the representatives of the Union in the Council of Members to agree to technical adaptations to other methods or documents of the IOC without further decision of the Council if those technical adaptations result from amendments related to the revision of the trade standard.

(8) In order to preserve the interest of the Union, the representatives of the Union in the Council of Members should, however, be allowed to request to postpone the adoption of the decision amending the trade standard, if the position to be taken on behalf of the Union is likely to be affected by new scientific or technical information presented before or during the 121st session,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The position to be taken on the Union’s behalf within the Council of Members of the International Olive Council (the ‘Council of Members’) at its 121st session, to be held in July 2025, or within the framework of a procedure for adoption of decisions by the Council of Members by an exchange of correspondence initiated before its next regular session in November 2025, is set out in the Annex to this Decision.

Article 2

Technical adaptations to other methods or documents of the International Olive Council may be agreed upon by the representatives of the Union in the Council of Members without further decision of the Council if those technical adaptations result from amendments related to the revision of the trade standard for olive oils and olive pomace oils.

Article 3

Where the position referred to in Article 1 is likely to be affected by new scientific or technical information presented by the Committee of chemistry and standardisation before the 121st session of the Council of Members, the representatives of the Union shall request that the adoption of the decision amending the trade standard for olive oils and olive pomace oils be postponed until the position of the Union is established on the basis of that new information.

Article 4

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

Done at Luxembourg, 12 June 2025.

For the Council

The President

A. BODNAR

(1) Council Decision (EU) 2016/1892 of 10 October 2016 on the signing, on behalf of the European Union, and provisional application of the International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, 2015 (

OJ L 293, 28.10.2016, p. 2

, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2016/1892/oj

(2) Council Decision (EU) 2019/848 of 17 May 2019 on the conclusion on behalf of the European Union of the International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, 2015 (

OJ L 139, 27.5.2019, p. 1

, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2019/848/oj

(3) Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007 (

OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671

, ELI:

http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2013/1308/oj

ANNEX

The European Union shall support the following amendments of the IOC trade standard (Trade standard COI/T.15/NC No 4 applying to olive oils and olive-pomace oils) at the 121st session of the Council of Members of the IOC to be held in July 2025 or within the framework of a procedure for adoption of decisions by the Council of Members by an exchange of correspondence initiated before its next regular session in November 2025:

— Inclusion of revision 4 of the method of analysis for the determination of wax and fatty acid ethyl ester content by capillary column gas chromatography (COI/T.20/Doc. No. 28/Rev. 4),

— Inclusion of the method for the determination of diglyceride and triglyceride content (COI/T.20/Doc. No 32),

— Inclusion of a footnote changing the limit for total sterols for monovarietal olive oils obtained from either Koroneiki or Nocellara del Belice olive varieties, pending further scientific studies,

— The deletion of the detection of traces of halogenated solvents in the trade standard.

Technical adaptations to other methods or documents of the IOC may be agreed to by the representatives of the Union in the Council of Members of the IOC without further decision of the Council if they result from amendments referred to in the first paragraph.

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2025/1213/oj

ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)