(1)

Decision 2000/258/EC designated the laboratory of the Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des aliments de Nancy (the AFSSA laboratory, Nancy), France as the institute responsible for establishing the criteria necessary for standardising the serological tests to monitor the effectiveness of rabies vaccines. That Decision also provides for the AFSSA laboratory, Nancy to send to the Commission the list of Community laboratories to be authorised to carry out those serological tests. Accordingly, the AFSSA laboratory, Nancy operates the established proficiency testing procedure to appraise laboratories for authorisation to perform the serological tests.

(2)

Commission Decision 2004/233/EC of 4 March 2004 authorising laboratories to check the effectiveness of vaccination against rabies in certain domestic carnivores (2) established a list of approved laboratories in the Member States on the grounds of the results of the proficiency tests communicated by the AFSSA laboratory, Nancy.

(3)

Three laboratories, respectively in the Netherlands, Poland and Portugal, have been approved by the AFSSA laboratory, Nancy, in compliance with Decision 2000/258/EC.

(4)

Accordingly, it is appropriate to add those three laboratories to the list of approved laboratories in the Member States as established in the Annex to Decision 2004/233/EC.

(5)

In addition, following the request of Germany, certain amendments should be made to the addresses of two German laboratories.

(6)

Furthermore, following the request of Slovenia, the name of the diagnostic laboratory in that Member State should be amended.

(7)

Decision 2004/233/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.

(8)

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