Guaranteeing a high level of health for humans, animals, and plants is a Treaty objective of the EU. Over time, the EU has built up a comprehensive body of law designed to prevent and manage risks to animal and plant health and the safety of the food chain at EU and national level. The law in these policy areas is enforced by means of a common set of rules on official controls to be carried out by the competent authorities in the EU Member States. The legal framework which the EU has developed so far has proven, as a whole, to be effective in preventing and countering risks. However, the modern global market increasingly exposes the EU to new risks and constantly calls for innovation and competitiveness. This and the experience gained with EU law in this area, points to the need to simplify and update available instruments and to further integrate the approach across the different areas. The European Commission therefore conducted a revisión of the current legal framework for animal health, plant health, plant reproductive material and official controls aimed mainly at increasing effectiveness, consistency and legal clarity in those areas. In this context, the Commission has presented four legislative proposals in the four areas of animal health, plant health, plant reproductive material and official controls (the ‘review package’). The review package also includes a fifth proposal establishing a multiannual programme for EU financing of actions aimed at ensuring a high level of health for humans, animals and plants along the agri-food chain and in related areas while allowing businesses to operate in an environment that favours competitiveness and job creation.