EU-Wide Advantages and Opportunities for the Grant “Thermal ecology and biology of Thaumatotibia leucotreta (false codling moth) in East Africa”

1. Single Market Access (450 + million consumers)

- Proactive Phytosanitary Protection: By filling knowledge gaps on Thaumatotibia leucotreta (TLC), EU operators can safeguard the entire single market from costly interceptions and emergency measures that disrupt intra-EU trade.

- Stable Supply Chains: Reliable pest-risk data lowers compliance costs for importers of high-value fresh produce (e.g., citrus, avocados, roses), ensuring uninterrupted access to consumers EU-wide.

- Competitive Edge for EU Businesses: Harmonised TLC-free certification developed through the project can become a recognised standard, giving EU traders preferential access to African produce ahead of global competitors.

2. Cross-Border Collaboration

- Pan-European Research Consortiums: The call encourages consortia from several Member States, combining entomological modelling expertise (e.g., France, Spain) with advanced climate-simulation labs (e.g., Germany, Netherlands).

- Joint Surveillance Protocols: Shared methodologies allow customs and plant-health agencies across the EU to interpret thermal-biology results consistently, reducing duplication of effort at border posts.

- Capacity Building with Africa: Structured knowledge exchange with East-African NPPOs strengthens Europe’s external action and opens doors for subsequent Horizon Europe or NDICI projects on sustainable agriculture.

3. EU Policy Alignment

- European Green Deal & Farm-to-Fork: Preventing pest incursions reduces pesticide use, directly supporting the ‘50 % pesticide-reduction’ target.

- Biodiversity Strategy 2030: Limiting invasive species protects vulnerable EU ecosystems.

- Trade Policy: Under the Economic Partnership Agreements with East Africa, evidence-based SPS measures underpin fair, rules-based trade.

- Digital Europe: Project outputs (e.g., open thermal-biology datasets, AI forecasting tools) feed the EU’s common data spaces for agriculture.

4. Regulatory Harmonisation

- Unified Risk Assessment Standards: Results will be embedded in EFSA Pest Categorisations, ensuring that all 27 Member States apply identical import requirements.

- Streamlined Permitting: A single, science-backed regulation reduces administrative overhead for SMEs trading across multiple EU countries.

- Faster Emergency Response: Common modelling parameters allow rapid, coordinated action if TLC is detected in any Member State.

5. Innovation Ecosystem & Knowledge Networks

- Access to Europe’s Top Labs: Partners tap cutting-edge facilities such as EURL Plant Health labs, EMBL bio-informatics platforms, and Copernicus climate data.

- Link to EIT Food & Agritech Accelerators: Start-ups can commercialise monitoring sensors or decision-support apps derived from project datasets.

- Open Science Compliance: Publishing under Horizon-aligned open-access policies raises visibility and citation impact across Europe.

6. Funding Synergies

- Horizon Europe Cluster 6: Follow-up RIA/PILOT projects on biologically-based control of TLC.

- Digital Europe Programme: Scale AI-driven early-warning systems across the continent.

- LIFE Programme: Demonstration projects for low-impact pest-exclusion techniques in Mediterranean orchards.

- Interreg Euro-MED & ENI CBC: Cross-regional pilot surveillance along main import corridors (e.g., Port of Piraeus to Central Europe).

7. Scale and Impact: From Lab to Continental Deployment

- EU-Wide Pest-Free Status Maintenance: Robust thermal-ecology thresholds support continent-wide monitoring grids.

- Cost Savings: EFSA estimates €180 m annual savings by preventing TLC establishment; benefits accrue to producers and consumers in every Member State.

- Standardised Digital Tools: A single Europe-wide TLC climatic suitability map can be integrated into Member-State GIS platforms with minimal localisation effort.

8. Strategic Value Summary

- Operating at EU level multiplies impact: one coordinated study replaces 27 fragmented national efforts, accelerates policy uptake, and leverages Europe’s full innovation ecosystem.

- The grant provides the scientific cornerstone for a continent-wide phytosanitary shield, strengthens EU trade resilience, and showcases Europe’s leadership in evidence-based plant-health governance.