Olive Oil Standards Revamped: New Variety Added and Safer Test Introduced

Summary

The European Commission proposes a Council Decision that will set the EU’s position in the International Olive Council (IOC) on two matters that will affect olive‑oil trade and quality standards.

1. What the decision will change

• The IOC trade standard for olive oil and olive‑pomace oil will be updated.
• A footnote on the total sterol content of some monovarietal extra‑virgin olive oils will be revised to add the Coratina variety to the list that already includes Koroneiki and Nocellara del Belice.
• This footnote will apply only until the end of the 2026/27 crop year.
• A new, safer method for measuring the peroxide value in olive oils and olive‑pomace oils will be added to the standard.
• The EU will also support the IOC’s decision to approve this new peroxide‑value method, which replaces the older method (COI/T.20/Doc. No 35) with a safer alternative (COI/T.20/Doc. No 38).

2. Why it matters

• The IOC is a body created by the 2015 International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, which the EU signed in 2016 and concluded in 2019.
• Decisions made by the IOC’s Council of Members (21 members, EU holds 647 of 1 000 participation shares) are binding under international law and influence EU marketing standards for olive oil (Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 and its implementing regulations).
• Harmonising the trade standard and the peroxide‑value method will help ensure fair competition and consistent quality checks across the EU and other IOC members.

3. Legal basis

• The decision is based on Article 207(4) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which covers common commercial policy, together with Article 218(9) TFEU, which allows the EU to adopt positions in international bodies.

4. Procedure

• The IOC will adopt the two decisions by exchange of correspondence before its next regular session in June 2026.
• The EU’s position will be taken at that time or during the session.
• If new scientific or technical information emerges before the exchange of correspondence, the EU can request a postponement of the decisions until the new information is considered.
• Technical adaptations that arise from the approved changes can be agreed by the EU representatives in the IOC without a new council decision.

5. Digital impact

• The proposal has no digital aspects; it does not involve new digital tools or data exchange.

In short, the EU will support specific updates to the IOC’s olive‑oil trade standard and the adoption of a safer peroxide‑value test, ensuring that EU regulations on olive‑oil marketing and conformity checks remain aligned with international standards.