1999R1661 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 004.001 — 1
This document is meant purely as a documentation tool and the institutions do not assume any liability for its contents
►B COMMISSIONREGULATION(EC)No1661/1999
of27July1999
laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EEC) No 737/90 on the
conditionsgoverning importsof agricultural productsoriginating inthird countries following the
accidentattheChernobylnuclearpower-station
(OJ L 197, 29.7.1999, p. 17)
Amended by:
Official Journal
No page date
►M1Commission Regulation (EC) No 1627/2000 of 24 July 2000 L 187 7 26.7.2000
►M2Commission Regulation (EC) No 1621/2001 of 8 August 2001 L 215 18 9.8.2001
►M3Commission Regulation (EC) No 1608/2002 of 10 September 2002 L 243 7 11.9.2002
Amended by:
►A1Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Czech Republic, the
Republic of Estonia, the Republic of Cyprus, the Republic of Latvia,
the Republic of Lithuania, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of
Malta, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Slovenia and the SlovakRepublic and the adjustments to the Treaties on which the EuropeanUnion isfoundedL 236 33 23.9.2003
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COMMISSIONREGULATION(EC)No1661/1999
of27July1999
laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regula-
tion (EEC) No 737/90 on the conditions governing imports ofagricultural products originating in third countries following the
accidentattheChernobylnuclearpower-station
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 737/90 of 22 March
1990 on the conditionsgoverning importsof agricultural productsoriginating in third countriesfollowing the accident at the Chernobylnuclear power-station (
1), asamended by Regulation (EC) No 686/
95 (2), and in particular Article 6 thereof,
(1)Whereasthe fallout of radiocaes ium from the accident at theChernobyl power station on 26 April 1986 has affected a widerange of third countries; whereas repeated cases of non-compli-ance with the maximum permitted levelsof radioactivecontamination have been recorded in consignments of certaintypes of mushrooms imported from a number of third countries;
(2)Whereass imilar fallout hasaffected certain partsof the terri-toriesof s ome Member Statesof the European Union;
(3)Whereasfores t and wooded areasgenerally are the naturalhabitat of uncultivated mushrooms (the products listed in AnnexI) and such ecosystems tend to retain radiocaesium in a cyclicexchange between soil and vegetation;
(4)Whereas, as a result, continual radiocaesium contamination of
uncultivated mushrooms has, in the period since the abovemen-
tioned accident, hardly declined and may well have increased inthe case of certain species;
(5)Whereas the Commission has carried out in 1986 and subse-quently updated an assessment of possible risks on humanhealth from contaminated foodstuffs with radioactive caesium;
whereas that assessment of possible risks is still valid today,
taking into account the physical radioactive period of thesubstance in question, and, in addition, the maximum permittedlevel conforms in essence to the level recommended by theCodex Alimentarius Commission;
(6)Whereas, in accordance with Article 4 of Regulation (EEC) No
737/90, the Member Statesmus t carry out checkson products
originating in third countries;
(7)Whereasthe detailed rulesfor the application of that Regulationare to be found in Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1983/88 (
3);
(8)Whereas there is a need to update these provisions and to
supplement them by specific conditions for the import of certain
products; as appears from the considerations herein set out;
(9)WhereasCouncil Directive 92/59/EEC of 29 June 1992 ongeneral product safety (
4) has set up a system for the rapid
exchange of information;
(10)Whereasthe meas ures in situ in the territoriesof the Member
Statesof the European Union flow from the legal obligationsof
those States pursuant to Articles 35 and 36 of the Euratom
Treaty, the Community measures already referred to and nationalmeasures and controls which, taken together, are, in terms of1999R1661 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 004.001 — 2
(1) OJ L 82, 29.3.1990, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 71, 31.3.1995, p. 15.
(3) OJ L 174, 6.7.1988, p. 32.
(4) OJ L 228, 11.8.1992, p. 24.
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equivalence of result, equal to those enacted in this Regulation;
whereas the Commission is taking all the necessary measures toensure that the Member States comply effectively with their
legal obligationsin thisres pect;
(11)Whereas even if the provisions for sampling and analysis of
variousagricultural productsmerit future cons ideration, theimmediate requirement is to strengthen those provisions with
respect to mushrooms;
(12)Whereas in order to allow more efficient controls, it is, as a
consequence, necessary to identify a restricted number ofcustoms offices where certain products may be declared for free
circulation in the European Union;
(13)Whereas the lists of customs offices and of third countries can
be reviewed asappropriate, taking into account inter alia future
compliance with the maximum permitted levelsand other infor-
mation allowing the Commission to judge whether there is a
need to maintain a third country on the list contained in AnnexIV;
(14)Whereas for the same reason it is appropriate that export certifi-
cates, as referred to in Article 4 of Regulation (EEC) No 737/90,
be provided for each consignment of such products;
(15)Whereasit isappropriate that the competent authoritiesof theMember States be authorised, at their sole discretion, to levy
charges for sampling and analysis and for destruction of the
product or itsreturn provided that the principle of proportion-ality is observed in exercising the option of destruction orreturn and provided also that, in any event, the charges so levieddo not exceed the costs incurred;
(16)Whereasthe provis ionsenacted below conform to the interna-tional obligationsof the European Community, in particularthose resulting from the agreements establishing the WorldTrade Organisation, taking into account the right of the Commu-
nity to adopt and apply measures that are necessary to achieve
the level of sanitary protection chosen in the territory of itsMember States;
(17)Whereasthe meas uresprovided for in thisRegulation are in
accordance with the opinion of the ad hoc committee referred
to in Article 7 of Regulation (EEC) No 737/90,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
1. Checkson the radiocaes ium content referred to in Article 3 of
Regulation (EEC) No 737/90 of productsreferred to in Article 1 of
the same Regulation, to ensure that the maximum permitted levelslaid down by the said Regulation are observed shall be carried out bythe Member Statesin which the productsare releas ed for free circula-tion and at the latest at that time.
2. Checks shall be carried out by sampling in accordance with the
following minimum standards:
(a) Without prejudice to paragraph 3(b), the choice of the Member
State as to the intensity of controls to be carried out shall be
made taking account in particular of the degree of contaminationof the country of origin, the characteristics of the products in ques-tion, the results of the previous checks and the export certificatesreferred to in Article 3.
(b) Without prejudice to the further measures provided for in Articles 5
and 6 of Regulation (EEC) No 737/90, where a product originatingin a third country isrecorded asexceeding the maximum permittedlevels, checks shall be intensified for all products of the same typeoriginating in the third country in question.1999R1661 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 004.001 — 3
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3. Checks on specific products shall be carried out in accordance
with the following rules:
(a) For animals for slaughter, the checks shall be carried out without
prejudice to the customs rules laid down in Council Regulation
(EEC) No 2913/92 (1) and Commission Regulation (EEC) No
2454/93 (2) and to animal health requirements. Clearance of release
for free circulation shall be subject to the presentation of a certifi-cate issued by the competent authorities responsible for controls tothe effect that the meat in question has undergone the system ofchecks and that those checks have shown that the maximum
permitted levelshave not been exceeded.
(b) For products listed in Annex I, originating in third countries listed
in Annex IV, documentary checks shall be performed on the basisof the duly completed export certificatesreferred to in Article 3accompanying each consignment. Each consignment exceeding
10 kg of fresh product or the equivalent thereof shall be subject to
systematic sampling and analysis, taking appropriate account of theinformation contained in the export certificate. These products mayonly be declared for free circulation in the Member State of desti-nation in a restricted number of customs offices listed in Annex III.
4. Where failure to comply with the maximum permitted levelsis
observed in respect of a given product, the competent authorities of
the Member State may require the imported product to be destroyed
or returned to the country of origin. In the latter case, written evidencethat the product hasleft the territory of the European Community willbe forwarded to the customs authority which refused the release forfree circulation.
5. For the productsreferred to in Article 1(1), the competent autho-
rities may, at their sole discretion, levy charges on the importer for the
sampling and analysis of products for compliance with Regulation
(EEC) No 737/90. For consignments which exceed the maximumpermitted levels, the competent authorities may also recover from theirintended importer costs associated with either the destruction of theconsignment or its return to the country of origin.
Article 2
1. Each Member State shall by analogy apply Article 8 of Directive
No 92/59/EEC to notify the Commission without delay of recordedcases of non-compliance with the provisions on maximum permittedlevels, set out in Regulation (EEC) No 737/90, stating the country of
origin, the description and degree of contamination of the goods, the
means of transport, the exporter and the decision taken in respect ofthe lotsin ques tion.
2. Member States shall inform the Commission of the bodies
assigned to implement checks.
3. The Commission shall inform the Member States without delay of
recorded cases of non-compliance with the maximum permitted levelsthrough the Community Rapid Alert System laid down in Directive No92/59/EEC.
Article 3
1. The Member States shall ensure that the export certificates issued
by the competent authorities of third countries listed in Annex IV shallattest that the products that they accompany comply with the maximum
permitted levelslaid down in Article 3 of Regulation (EEC) No 737/
90. The export certificates shall be compiled using a form printed onwhite paper in accordance with the specimen in Annex II.1999R1661 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 004.001 — 4
(1) OJ L 302, 13.10.1992, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 253, 11.10.1993, p. 1.
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2. The Commission shall communicate to the Member States the
detailsreceived concerning the authoritiesauthoris ed in the third coun-tries in question to issue export certificates.
Article 4
ThisRegulation s hall enter into force on the day of itspublication in
theOfficial Journal of the European Communities .
Article 5
Regulation (EEC) No 1983/88 isrepealed.
ThisRegulation s hall be binding in itsentirety and directly applicable
in all Member States.1999R1661 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 004.001 — 5
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ANNEX I
LIST OF PRODUCTS FOR WHICH THE PROVISIONS OF ARTICLE
1(3)(b)SHALLBEFULFILLED
CN Codes
ex 0709 51 Mushrooms, fresh or chilled, other than cultivated mush-
rooms
ex 0710 80 69 Mushrooms (uncooked or cooked by steaming or boiling
in water), frozen, other than cultivated mushrooms
ex 0711 90 60 Mushrooms provisionally preserved (for example, by
sulphur dioxide gas, in brine, in sulphur water or in
other preservative solutions), but unsuitable in that state
for immediate consumption, other than cultivated mush-
rooms
ex 0712 30 00 Dried mushrooms, whole, cut, sliced, broken or in
powder, but not further prepared, other than cultivated
mushrooms
ex 2001 90 50 Mushrooms, prepared or preserved by vinegar or acetic
acid, other than cultivated mushrooms
ex 2003 10 80 Mushrooms, prepared or preserved otherwise than by
vinegar or acetic acid, other than cultivated mushrooms1999R1661 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 004.001 — 6
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ANNEX II
1999R1661 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 004.001 — 7
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ANNEX III
LIST OF CUSTOMS OFFICES IN WHICH PRODUCTS LISTED IN ANNEX I MAY BE
DECLAREDFORFREECIRCULATIONINTHEEUROPEANCOMMUNITY
Member State Customs offices
BELGIQUE/BELGIË AnversDE — voie maritime
Bierset — (Grâce-Hollogne) DE — voies aérienne et/ou terrestre
BruxellesDE — voie aérienne
Zaventem D — voie aérienne
ČESKÁ REPUBLIKA All customs offices
DANMARK Every port and airport in Denmark
DEUTSCHLAND Baden-Württemberg HZA Lörrach — ZA Weil-am-Rhein-Autobahn
HZA Stuttgart — ZA Flughafen
HZA Ulm — ZA Aalen
Bayern HZA München — ZA Flughafen
HZA Hof — ZA Schirnding-LandstraßeHZA Weiden — ZA Furth-im-Wald-Schafberg
HZA Weiden — ZA Waidhaus-Autobahn
HZA Bamberg — ZA Kulmbach
HZA Nürnberg — ZA Neustadt-Aisch
HZA Passau — ZA Philipsreut
HZA Regensburg — ZA Hafen
HZA Regensburg — ZA Amberg
HZA Schweinfurt — ZA Kitzingen
Berlin HZA Berlin — ZA Marzahn, Abfertigungsstelle
Großmarkthalle
HZA Potsdam — ZA Berlin-Flughafen-Tegel
Brandenburg HZA Frankfurt (Oder) — ZA Autobahn
HZA Cottbus— ZA Fors t-Autobahn
HZA Potsdam — Berlin-Flughafen-Schönefeld
Bremen HZA Bremen — ZA Neustädter Hafen
HZA Bremerhaven — ZA Bremerhaven
Hamburg HZA Hamburg-Hafen
HZA Hamburg-Freihafen — ZA Ericus-Abferti-
gungsstelle Südbahnhof
HZA Hamburg-Harburg — ZA Köhlfleetdamm
HZA Hamburg-St. Annen — ZA Altona
HZA Hamburg-Stadt — ZA Oberelbe
HZA Hamburg-Hafen — ZA Waltershof
HZA Itzehoe — ZA Hamburg-Flughafen
Hessen HZA Frankfurt-am-Main-FlughafenMecklenburg-
VorpommernHZA Neubrandenburg — ZA Pomellen —
Grenzkontrollstelle Pomellen
HZA Stralsund — ZA Rostock-Seehafen —
Grenzkontrollstelle Rostock-Seehafen
Niedersachsen HZA Hannover — ZA Lüneburg
HZA Braunschweig — ZA Göttingen
HZA Hannover — Abfertigungsstelle
Nordrhein-Westfalen HZA Dortmund — ZA Ost
HZA Düsseldorf — ZA Flughafen
Rheinland-Pfalz HZA Koblenz — ZA Idar-Oberstein, Grenzkon-
trollstelle Flughafen Hahn
Sachsen HZA Dresden — ZA Friedrichstadt, Grenzkon-
trollstelle Dresdenfriedrichstadt (für Eisenbahn-
transport)
HZA Pirna — ZA Altenberg, AbfSt Zinnwald
(für Straßentransport)
HZA Löbau — ZA Ludwigsdorf-Autobahn,
Grenzkontrollstelle Ludwigsdorf (für
Straßentransport)1999R1661 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 004.001 — 8
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Member State Customs offices
Schleswig-Holstein HZA Kiel — ZA Wik, Grenzkontrollstelle Kiel
Ostuferhafen
HZA Kiel — ZA Lübeck-Travemünde Grenz-
kontrollstelle
EESTI Narva, Koidula, Luhamaa Frontier Posts, Tallinn Airport, Tallinn, Paljas-
saare and Muuga Ports
ΕΛΛΑ∆Α Αθηνών,Πειραιά,ΚρατικούΑερολιµέναΑθηνών,Θεσσαλονίκης,
Αερολιµένα Μίκρας, Βόλου, Πατρών, Ηρακλείου, Αερολιµένα
ΗρακλείουΚρήτης,Καβάλας,Ιωαννίνων,Ναυπλίου
ESPAÑA Algeciras(Puerto), Alicante (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Almería (Aeropuerto,
Puerto), Barcelona (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Bilbao (Aeropuerto, Puerto),
Cádiz (Puerto), Cartagena (Puerto), Gijón (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Huelva
(Puerto), A Coruña-Santiago de Compostela (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Las
Palmasde Gran Canaria (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Madrid-Barajas(Aero-
puerto), Málaga (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Palma de Mallorca (Aeropuerto),
Pasajes-Irún (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Aeropuerto,
Puerto), Santander (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Sevilla (Aeropuerto, Puerto),Tarragona (Puerto), Valencia (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Vigo-Villagarcía
(Aeropuerto), Marín (Puerto), Vitoria (Aeropuerto), Zaragoza (Aero-
puerto)
FRANCE Dunkerque (transport maritime)
Lille (transport aérien et terrestre)
Marseille (transport aérien, terrestre et maritime)
Roissy (transport aérien et terrestre)
Saint-Louis/Bâle (transport aérien et terrestre)
Strasbourg (transport terrestre)
Orly (transport aérien)
Bordeaux (transport aérien)
Lyon-Satolas(trans port aérien)
Nice-aéroport (transport aérien)
Toulouse-Blagnac (transport aérien)
Thionville (transport terrestre)
Saint-Julien-en-Genevois (transport terrestre)
Brive (transport terrestre)
Le Puy-en-Velay (transport terrestre)
Valence (transport terrestre)
IRELAND All customs offices
ITALIA Ufficio di Sanità marittima ed aerea di Trieste
Ufficio di Sanità aerea di Torino — Caselle
Ufficio di Sanità aerea di Roma — Fiumicino
Ufficio di Sanità marittima ed aerea di Venezia
Ufficio di Sanità marittima ed aerea di Genova
Ufficio di Sanità marittima di Livorno
Ufficio di Sanità marittima ed aerea di Ancona
Ufficio di Sanità marittima ed aerea di Brindisi
Ufficio di Sanità aerea di Varese — Malpensa
Ufficio di Sanità aerea di Bologna — Panicale
Ufficio di Sanità marittima ed aerea di Bari
Posto d'Ispezione frontaliera di Chiasso1999R1661 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 004.001 — 9
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Member State Customs offices
ΚΥΠΡΟΣ All customs offices
LATVIJA All customs offices
LIETUVA Vilniusinternational airport
Port: Klaip ėda
Railway: Kena, Kybartai, Pag ėgiai
Road: Lavorišk ės, Medininkau, Šal čininkai, Kybartai, Panemun ė
LUXEMBOURG Bureau desdouaneset accis es
Centre douanier — Luxembourg
Bureau desdouaneset accis es
Luxembourg-aéroport — Niederanven
MAGYARORSZÁG All customs offices
MALTA The Air Freight Section at Malta International Airport, Luqa
The Sea Freight Entry Processing Unit at Customs House, Valletta
The Parcel Post Office at Customs Office, Qormi.
NEDERLAND All customs offices
ÖSTERREICH Drasenhofen (Republik Tschechien)
Berg (Slowakische Republik)
Nickelsdorf (Republik Ungarn)
Heiligenkreuz (Republik Ungarn)
Spielfeld (Republik Slowenien)
Tisis (Schweiz)
Wien Flughafen Schwechat
POLSKA Biała Podlaska, Białystok, Cieszyn, Gdynia, Katowice, Kraków, Łód ź,
Nowy Targ, Olsztyn, Pozna ń, Przemy śl, Rzepin, Szczecin, Toru ń, Wars-
zawa, Warszawa Air-Port, Wrocław
PORTUGAL Airportsof Lis bon, Porto and Faro
Portsof Lis bon and Leixões
SLOVENIJA Obrežje (cestni mejni prehod), Gruškovje (cestni mejni prehod), Jelšane
(cestni mejni prehod), Brnik (letalski mejni prehod), Koper (pomorski
mejni prehod), Dobova (železniški mejni prehod)
SLOVENSKO All customs offices
SUOMI — FINLAND Helsinki, Vaalimaa, Niirala, Vartius, Raja-Jooseppi, Utsjoki, Kilpisjärvi
SVERIGE Arlanda, Göteborg, Landvetter, Helsingborg, Karlskrona, Stockholm,
Ystad, Karlshamn
UNITED KINGDOM Belfast International Airport, Port of Belfast, Port of Dover, Port of
Falmouth, Port of Felixstowe, Gatwick Airport, Port of Hull, Port of
Larne, Port of London, Port of Southampton1999R1661 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 004.001 — 10
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ANNEX IV
LISTOFTHIRDCOUNTRIESREFERREDTOINARTICLE3
Albania
Belarus
Bosnia and HerzegovinaBulgariaCroatia
Liechtenstein
Former Yugoslav Republic of MacedoniaMoldova
Norway
RomaniaRussia
SwitzerlandTurkey
UkraineFederal Republic of Yugoslavia1999R1661 — EN — 01.05.2004 — 004.001 — 11
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