(1)

Council Decision 2003/17/EC of 16 December 2002 on the equivalence of field inspections carried out in third countries on seed-producing crops and on the equivalence of seed produced in third countries (3) provides that, for a limited period, field inspections carried out in third countries on seed-producing crops of certain species are to be considered to be equivalent to field inspections carried out in accordance with Union legal acts, and that seed of certain species produced in third countries is to be considered to be equivalent to seed produced in accordance with Union legal acts.

(2)

It appears that field inspections carried out in third countries continue to afford the same guarantees as field inspections carried out by Member States. They should therefore continue to be considered to be equivalent.

(3)

As Decision 2003/17/EC will expire on 31 December 2012, the period for which equivalence is recognised under that Decision should be extended. It appears desirable to extend that period by 10 years.

(4)

The reference to Yugoslavia in Decision 2003/17/EC should be deleted. Serbia, as a member of the OECD Schemes for the Varietal Certification of Seed Moving in International Trade and as a member of the International Seed Testing Association as regards the seed sampling and testing, should be added to the list of third countries in Annex I to Decision 2003/17/EC. In addition, the names of some authorities responsible for the approval and control of the production, as listed in Annex I to Decision 2003/17/EC, have changed.

(5)

The provisions of Decision 2003/17/EC which refer to Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission (4) should be deleted as, in the context of this Decision, their application would be incompatible with the system on delegated and implementing powers introduced by Articles 290 and 291 of the Treaty.

(6)

Decision 2003/17/EC should therefore be amended accordingly,

(1)

Article 4 is deleted;

(2)

Article 5 is deleted;

(3)

in Article 6, the date ‘31 December 2012’ is replaced by the date ‘31 December 2022’;

(4)

Annex I is replaced by the text set out in the Annex to this Decision.