COMMISSION DECISION of 7 July 1997 drawing up provisional lists of third country establishments from which the Member States authorize imports of rabbit meat and farmed game meat (Text with EEA relevance) (97/467/EC)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Decision 95/408/EC of 22 June 1995 on the conditions for drawing up, for an interim period, provisional lists of third country establishments from which Member States are authorized to import certain products of animal origin, fishery products or live bivalve molluscs (1), as last amended by Decision 97/34/EC (2), and in particular Article 2 (1) and Article 7 thereof,
Whereas Commission Decision 94/278/EC (3), as last amended by Decision 96/344/EC (4), draws up a list of third countries from which the Member States authorize imports of rabbit meat;
Whereas a list of third countries from which the Member States authorize imports of farmed game meat has been drawn up pursuant to Council Directive 92/118/EEC (5), as last amended by Directive 96/90/EC (6);
Whereas, for many of the countries on that list the animal health and veterinary certification requirements for importation of rabbit meat and farmed game meat products have been laid down in Commission Decision 97/219/EC (7);
Whereas the Commission has received from certain third countries lists of establishments, with guarantees that they fully meet the appropriate Community health requirements and that should an establishment fail to do so its export activities to the European Community will be suspended;
Whereas the Commission has been unable to ascertain in all the third countries concerned the compliance of their establishments with the Community requirements and the validity of the guarantees provided by the competent authorities;
Whereas, to prevent the interruption of trade in rabbit meat and farmed game meat from those countries, it is necessary to grant them a further period during which Member States will be able to continue to import rabbit meat and farmed game meat from the establishments they have recognized under the reservation that the trade in these meats will be limited to the national market; whereas during that further period the Commission will collect from those countries the guarantees needed in order to be able to add them to the list in accordance with the procedure laid down in Decision 95/408/EC;
Whereas, concerning the Czech Republic, a list of establishments has been drawn up by Commission Decision 97/299/EC (8);
Whereas on the expiry of that period third countries which have not transmitted their lists of establishments in accordance with the Community rules will no longer be permitted to export rabbit meat and farmed game meat to the Community;
Whereas Member States will be responsible therefore for satisfying themselves that the establishments from which they import rabbit meat and farmed game meat meet requirements for production and placing on the market which are no less stringent than the Community requirements;
Whereas provisional lists of establishments producing rabbit meat and farmed game meat can thus be drawn up in respect of certain countries;
Whereas the measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Veterinary Committee,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
1. The Member States shall authorize imports of rabbit meat and farmed game meat from the establishments of third countries listed in the Annex hereto.
2. Concerning third countries other than those in the Annex, Member States may authorize establishments for import of rabbit meat and farmed game meat up to 1 January 1998.
3. Imports of rabbit meat and farmed game meat shall remain subject to the Community veterinary provisions adopted elsewhere.
Article 2
This Decision shall apply from 1 July 1997.
Article 3
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 7 July 1997.