DG SANTE is participating in the standardisation of relations with Iran by developing technical cooperation with this country. This action is part of the lifting of sanctions imposed on Iran since 2003, following the signing of the Vienna agreement between Iran and the P5 + 1 (United States of America, Russia, China, France, United Kingdom and Germany).

With political and financial support from the EU Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI), a workshop on the use of TRACES was organised in Tehran from 7 to 11 May 2017 by TAIEX. This workshop was intended to ensure better monitoring of imports of products of animal origin from Iran, mainly casings and fishery products, and to facilitate administrative procedures for border checks at the EU border.

Immediately following this workshop, administered by members of the TRACES team in Directorate G (Food, veterinary and phytosanitary crisis management), Mehdi Khalaj, head of the Iranian Veterinary Organization, confirmed in an official letter that his organisation is using TRACES for the certification of its exports to the EU.

This initiative demonstrates DG SANTE's responsiveness to current events and its ability to work in synergy with the other Commission DGs (DG NEAR and FPI).

This workshop is only the second organised by the EU since the resumption of relations with Iran. This workshop could also be the first step in further cooperation actions, notably with the Iranian Ministry of Health responsible for the certification of pistachios that the EU imports in large quantities from this country.