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            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:

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

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(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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            AGREEMENT IN THE FORM OF AN EXCHANGE OF LETTERS         

constituting an Arrangement with New Zealand on the amendments to Annex V and Annex VIII to the Agreement between the European Community and New Zealand on sanitary measures applicable to trade in live animals and animal products

A.   Letter from the European Community

Brussels, 19 June 2006            

Sir,

With reference to Article 16(2) of the Agreement between the European Community and New Zealand on sanitary measures applicable to trade in live animals and animal products, I have the honour to propose modifications to Annexes V and VIII to the Agreement as follows:

As recommended by the Joint Management Committee established under Article 16(1) of the Agreement, replace the text of Annex V and Annex VIII with the respective texts of Annexes V and VIII as attached hereto.

I would be obliged if you would confirm New Zealand's concurrence with these modifications to the Annex to the Agreement.

Please accept, Sir, the assurance of my highest consideration.

Yours faithfully,

For the European Community

Paola TESTORI COGGI            

B.   Letter from New Zealand

Brussels, 4 August 2006            

Madam,

I have the honour to refer to your letter containing details of proposed modifications to Annex V and Annex VIII of the Agreement between the European Community and New Zealand on sanitary measures applicable to trade in live animals and animal products.

In this regard I have the honour to confirm the acceptability to New Zealand of the proposed modifications, as recommended by the Joint Management Committee established under Article 16(1) of the Agreement, a copy of which is attached hereto.

Please accept, Madam, the assurances of my highest consideration.

For the competent authority of New Zealand

Andrew McKENZIE            

Appendix

                     ‘ANNEX V

RECOGNITION OF SANITARY MEASURES

Glossary

Section 1

Germ plasm and live animals

Section 2

Meat (including fresh meat, poultry meat, farmed and wild game meat), Minced meat, meat preparations and meat products for human consumption.

Section 3

Other products for human consumption

Section 4

Products not intended for human consumption

Section 5

General horizontal issues

                     ‘ANNEX VIII

FRONTIER CHECKS AND INSPECTION FEES

A.   FRONTIER CHECKS ON CONSIGNMENTS OF LIVE ANIMALS AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS

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(1)  Commodities must be fully eligible for unrestricted intra-Community trade, unless otherwise indicated.

(2)  Commodities must be fully eligible for unrestricted intra-Community trade, unless otherwise indicated.

(3)  All entries referring to these Regulations shall be construed to include relevant implementing measures and microbial criteria as laid down in Regulations (EC) 2073/2005, (EC) No 2074/2005 and (EC) No 2076/2005.

(4)  Commodities must be fully eligible for unrestricted intra-Community trade, unless otherwise indicated.

(5)  Commodities must be fully eligible for unrestricted intra-Community trade, unless otherwise indicated.

(6)  Commodities must be fully eligible for unrestricted intra-Community trade, unless otherwise indicated.

(7)  Physical checks to be carried out as provided in Commission Decision 2003/881/EC (as amended).

(8)  Post import checks to be carried out by the Competent Authority at the designated destination of the bees.

(9)  For consignments of packaged bees containing less than 130 packages 50 % of the consignment is to be subject to inspection. For consignments containing more than 130 packages, a sample of 65 packages randomly selected from the consignment must be inspected to achieve a 95 % confidence interval of detecting 5 % incidence of disease.

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