Article 83(7) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 empowers the Commission to adopt the format specifications of plant passports for movement within the Union territory and of plant passports for introduction into, and movement within, a protected zone. In order to ensure easy visibility and clear legibility, it is important for plant passports to have standardised formats. This also ensures that plant passports are clearly distinguishable from any other information or label.

Due to the differences in size and characteristics of plants, plant products or other objects for which a plant passport is required, a certain degree of flexibility should be ensured as regards format specifications of plant passports. Therefore, within each category of plant passports set out in Parts A to D of the Annex, various alternative models should be available which allow for taking into account the said differences of plants, plant products or other objects for which a plant passport is required. Moreover, those models should not specifically provide for the size of the plant passports, the use of a border line, the proportion of the size of their elements, and the fonts used therein.

The elements of the plant passport should be arranged within a rectangular or square shape, and should be clearly separated from any other written or pictorial matter by a border line or otherwise. As experience has shown, this is important to enhance the visibility of plant passports and their distinctiveness from any other information or label.

For reasons of legal certainty, this Regulation should apply from the same date as Regulation (EU) 2016/2031.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,