The International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 7 Phytosanitary Certification System and No. 12 Phytosanitary Certificates are crucial Standards for the functioning of a reliable and efficient exchange of information between National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs) on consignments moving in international trade. These two Standards were revised in 2011 and they may in some cases be implemented in different ways. The European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO), in partnership with the Near East Plant Protection Organization (NEPPO), organized the Workshop ‘Toward a harmonized implementation of International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures no. 7 Phytosanitary Certification System and no. 12 Phytosanitary Certificates in Antalya (TR) from 20 to 22 November 2012 to share experiences and discuss practices on how these two standards are being implemented. Thirty‐six participants from 22 countries attended this workshop. Their discussions on the implementations of ISPM 7 and ISPM 12 concerned various aspects of the certification system and of the use of phytosanitary certificates, and are summarized here. Aspects of the certification system included staffing, information on importing countries’ phytosanitary requirements, models of phytosanitary certificates and record‐keeping; aspects of phytosanitary certificates included the purpose of the certificates, attachments, certified copies, alterations, replacements, issuance after dispatch, means of conveyance, description of the products, additional declarations (including standardized wording), how to deal with re‐export and transit situations, and the use of electronic certificates. The workshop concluded with recommendations and observations on the implementation of ISPM 7 and ISPM 12.