In a written answer on 22 July 2026, Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare Olivér Várhelyi defended the existing EU regulatory framework for honeybee imports as proportionate and science-based, pushing back on calls for an immediate suspension of imports from countries where the parasitic mite Tropilaelaps has been detected. The answer, addressed to Greens/EFA MEPs Cristina Guarda and Thomas Waitz, signals the Commission's preference for targeted surveillance and international cooperation over the precautionary trade bans that some Member States have already adopted unilaterally.
The question warned that Tropilaelaps, which can destroy 30–90% of bee colonies in Asia, has been confirmed in Georgia and southern Russia and is suspected in Ukraine and Türkiye — both EU import sources. Canada and the UK have banned imports from Ukraine, while Poland, Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria have imposed national restrictions. The MEPs urged the Commission to consider a precautionary suspension of imports from at-risk countries, molecular testing of honey samples, and tighter anti-smuggling controls.
Várhelyi's answer, however, emphasised that existing EU rules — which require health certificates, quarantine, and post-entry handling obligations — are aligned with World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) standards and have not shown major shortcomings. He noted that the Commission alerted Member States to the alleged presence of Tropilaelaps in late 2025, contacted affected third countries in writing, co-organised a regional WOAH workshop, and ensured the parasite is on the agenda of the EU Reference Laboratory's annual meeting. Enforcement, he stressed, lies with Member States' competent authorities, which must carry out surveillance under Regulation (EU) 2016/429.
The answer contains no concrete new measures, numerical targets, or deadlines, instead reiterating the adequacy of the current legal framework and the importance of Member State implementation. This suggests the Commission is unlikely to propose a temporary EU-wide import ban in the near term, despite the escalating concerns from the beekeeping sector and several eastern Member States. The file is expected to be discussed further in the relevant regulatory committee and at the EU Reference Laboratory meeting, but no immediate legislative follow-up is signalled.