Food supplements such as guaraná, ginseng, espirulina and passiflore, legally marketed in other Member States, are banned from being imported into Spain. The Spanish authorities consider these herbal or plant-based products as pharmaceuticals and systematically ban them unless authorised as medicinal products, which requires a long and detailed process. The European Commission considers that the absence of an adequate procedure for assessing the public health risks allegedly posed by such products is unjustified, infringes the free movement of goods in the Community and goes beyond that necessary in terms of the protection of public health.