52003XC1018(01)

List of bodies or public authorities in charge of inspection provided for in Article 15 of Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91

(2003/C 250/04)

Article 9 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91 of 24 June 1991 on organic production of agricultural products and indications referring thereto on agricultural products and foodstuffs, requires that the Member States set up an inspection system operated by one or more designated inspection authorities and/or approved private inspection bodies.

According to the provision of the last subparagraph of Article 15 of the Regulation, the current communication lists, on the basis of the information from the Member States updated in 2003, the system made operational in each Member State and the bodies and/or authorities approved for inspection.

Under the column "comments" the systems made operational in each of the Member States are indicated as follows:

A: system of approved private inspection bodies;

B: system of (a) designated public inspection authority(ies);

C: system of a designated public inspection authority and approved private inspection bodies.

From January 1998 approved inspection bodies in the European Union must satisfy the requirements laid down in the conditions of standard EN 45011 (Article 9(10) of Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91).

The list also constains the bodies and/or authorities approved for inspection by non-Community countries adhered to the EEA.

AUSTRIA AND GERMANY

In Austria and Germany the bodies are approved at the level of the Länder and have their activity limited to certain specified Länder. For these countries, the column "comments" indicates for each body the Länder where it has been approved, followed, where relevant, by the other Länder where this body may carry out its inspection activity. The following codes have been used for the different Länder:

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Spain

In Spain at present the Autonomous Communities exercise the control through the public inspection authorities and private inspection bodies designated or approved where appropriate, respectively, by their corresponding competent authorities. The column "comments" indicates the Autonomous Communities where the authority or private inspection body can carry out its inspection activity. The following codes have been used for the different regions:

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