Commission Decision

of 26 July 2006

approving on behalf of the European Community amendments to Annexes V and VIII to the Agreement between the European Community and New Zealand on sanitary measures applicable to trade in live animals and animal products

(notified under document number C(2006) 3327)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2006/854/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Decision 97/132/EC of 17 December 1996 on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Community and New Zealand on sanitary measures applicable to trade in live animals and animal products [1], and in particular the third paragraph of Article 3 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) The Agreement between the European Community and New Zealand on sanitary measures applicable to trade in live animals and animal products [2] (the Agreement) provided for the possibility of recognising the equivalence of the New Zealand control and certification systems for fresh meat and meat-based products and for other animal products.

(2) The Joint Management Committee for the Agreement established under Article 16 of the Agreement (the Committee), at its meeting on 20 October 2005, issued a recommendation concerning the determination of equivalence of sanitary requirements for live bees and bumble bees. The Committee also recommended the determination of equivalence of certification systems and suggested appropriate procedures to conduct physical checks at the import of these commodities.

(3) To follow the recommendations of the Joint Management Committee it is appropriate to amend Annexes V and VIII to the Agreement.

(4) Annex V to the Agreement also needs to be updated following the entry into force of Directive 2004/41/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 repealing certain directives concerning food hygiene and health conditions for the production and placing on the market of certain products of animal origin intended for human consumption and amending Council Directives 89/662/EEC and 92/118/EEC and Council Decision 95/408/EC [3]. Annex V and VIII need to be updated due to the introduction of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1688/2005 of 14 October 2005 implementing Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards special guarantees concerning salmonella for consignments to Finland and Sweden of certain meat and eggs [4].

(5) Those amendments should be approved on behalf of the Community.

(6) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Pursuant to the recommendations made by the Joint Management Committee established under Article 16 of the Agreement between the European Community and New Zealand on sanitary measures applicable to trade in live animals and animal products the amendments to Annexes V and VIII to that Agreement are hereby approved on behalf of the Community.

The text of an Exchange of Letters constituting an Arrangement with New Zealand, including the amendments to Annexes V and VIII to the Agreement, is attached to this Decision.

Article 2

The Director-General for Health and Consumer Protection is hereby empowered to sign the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters in order to bind the Community.

Article 3

This Decision shall apply from the first day of the month following the month in which New Zealand Notifies the Commission in writing that its internal procedures for the approval of the amendments referred to in Article 1 have been completed.

The Commission shall inform the Council and the Member States of the Notification referred to in the first paragraph without delay.

Article 4

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 26 July 2006.

For the Commission

Markos Kyprianou

Member of the Commission

[1] OJ L 57, 26.2.1997, p. 4. Decision as amended by Decision 1999/837/EC (OJ L 332, 23.12.1999, p. 1).

[2] OJ L 57, 26.2.1997, p. 5.

[3] OJ L 157, 30.4.2004, p. 33, corrected by OJ L 195, 2.6.2004, p. 12.

[4] OJ L 271, 15.10.2005, p. 17.

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