1999R1661 — EN — 29.07.2000 — 001.001 — 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
▼B
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 conditions governing imports of agricultural productsoriginating in third countries following the accident at the Chernobylnuclear power-station(
1), as amended by Regulation (EC) No 686/
95(2), and in particular Article 6 thereof,
(1)Whereas the fallout of radiocaesium 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 withth e maximum permitted levels of radioactivecontamination have been recorded in consignments of certaintypes of mushrooms imported from a number of third countries;
(2)Whereas similar fallout has affected certain parts of the terri-tories of some Member States of the European Union;
(3)Whereas forest and wooded areas generally are the naturalhabitat of uncultivated mushrooms (the products listed in AnnexI) and suchecosystems 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 States must carry out checks on products
originating in third countries;
(7)Whereas the detailed rules for 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)Whereas Council Directive 92/59/EEC of 29 June 1992 ongeneral product safety(
4) has set up a system for the rapid
exchange of information;
(10)Whereas the measures in situin the territories of the Member
States of the European Union flow from the legal obligations of
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 — 29.07.2000 — 001.001 — 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 obligations in this respect;
(11)Whereas even if the provisions for sampling and analysis of
various agricultural products merit future consideration, 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 as appropriate, taking into account inter alia future
compliance with the maximum permitted levels and 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 eachconsignment of suchproducts;
(15)Whereas it is appropriate that the competent authorities of theMember States be authorised, at their sole discretion, to levy
charges for sampling and analysis and for destruction of the
product or its return 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)Whereas the provisions enacted below conform to the interna-tional obligations of 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)Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in
accordance with the opinion of the ad hoccommittee referred
to in Article 7 of Regulation (EEC) No 737/90,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
1. Checks on the radiocaesium content referred to in Article 3 of
Regulation (EEC) No 737/90 of products referred 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 States in which the products are released 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 is recorded as exceeding the maximum permittedlevels, checks shall be intensified for all products of the same typeoriginating in the third country in question.1999R1661 — EN — 29.07.2000 — 001.001 — 3
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3. Checks on specific products shall be carried out in accordance
withth e 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 levels have 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 certificates referred to in Article 3accompanying eachconsignment. Eachconsignment 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 levels is
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 has left the territory of the European Community willbe forwarded to the customs authority which refused the release forfree circulation.
5. For the products referred 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 withRegulation
(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. EachMember State sh all by analogy apply Article 8 of Directive
No 92/59/EEC to notify the Commission without delay of recordedcases of non-compliance withth e 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 lots in question.
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 withth e 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 levels laid 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 — 29.07.2000 — 001.001 — 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
details received concerning the authorities authorised in the third coun-tries in question to issue export certificates.
Article 4
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in
theOfficial Journal of the European Communities .
Article 5
Regulation (EEC) No 1983/88 is repealed.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable
in all Member States.1999R1661 — EN — 29.07.2000 — 001.001 — 5
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ANNEXI
LIST OF PRODUCTS FOR WHICH THE PROVISIONS OF ARTICLE
1(3)(b)SHALLBEFULFILLED
CN Codes
ex 070951 Mushrooms, fresh or chilled, other than cultivated mush-
rooms
ex 07108069 Mushrooms (uncooked or cooked by steaming or boiling
in water), frozen, other than cultivated mushrooms
ex 07119060 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 07123000 Dried mushrooms, whole, cut, sliced, broken or in
powder, but not further prepared, other than cultivated
mushrooms
ex 20019050 Mushrooms, prepared or preserved by vinegar or acetic
acid, other than cultivated mushrooms
ex 20031080 Mushrooms, prepared or preserved otherwise than by
vinegar or acetic acid, other than cultivated mushrooms1999R1661 — EN — 29.07.2000 — 001.001 — 6
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ANNEXII
1999R1661 — EN — 29.07.2000 — 001.001 — 7
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ANNEXIII
LIST OF CUSTOMS OFFICES IN WHICH PRODUCTS LISTED IN ANNEX I MAY BE
DECLAREDFORFREECIRCULATIONINTHEEUROPEANCOMMUNITY
Member State Customs offices
BELGIQUE/BELGIË Anvers D.E. — voie maritime
Bierset — (Grâce-Hollogne) D.E. — voies aérienne et/ou terrestre
Bruxelles D.E. — voie aérienne
Zaventem D. — voie aérienne
DANMARK Every port and airport in Denmark
DEUTSCHLAND Baden-Württemberg HZA Lörrach — ZA Weil am Rhein-Autobahn
HZA Stuttgart — ZA Flughafen
Bayern HZA München-Flughafen
HZA Hof — ZA Schirnding-Landstraße
HZA Weiden — ZA Furthim Wald-Sch afberg
HZA Weiden — ZA Waldhaus-Autobahn
Berlin HZA Berlin-Packhof — ZA Marzahn, Abferti-
gungsstelle Grossmarkthallen
HZA Berlin-Packhof — ZA Tegel-Flughafen
Brandenburg HZA Frankfurt (Oder) — ZA Autobahn
HZA Cottbus — ZA Forst-Autobahn
Bremen HZA Bremen-ZA Neustädter Hafen
HZA Bremerhaven — ZA Container Terminal
HZA Bremerhaven — ZA Rotersand
Hamburg HZA Hamburg-Freihafen — Abfertigungsstelle
HZA Hamburg-Freihafen — ZA Ericus-Abferti-
gungsstelle Südbahnhof
HZA Hamburg-Harburg — ZA Köhkleetdamm
HZA Hamburg-Hamburg St. Annen-ZA Altona
HZA Hamburg-Hamburg St. Annen-ZA Oberelbe
HZA Hamburg-Waltershof — Abfertigungsstelle
HZA Hamburg-Waltershof — ZA Flughafen
Hessen HZA Frankfurt am Main-FlughafenMecklenburg-
VorpommernHZA Neubrandenburg — ZA Pomellen —
Grenzkontrollstelle Pomellen
HZA Schwerin — ZA Rostock-Seehafen —
Grenzkontrollstelle Rostock-Seehafen
HZA Stralsund — ZA Mukran Grenzkontroll-
stelle Rügen/Mukran, Im Fährhafen
Niedersachsen HZA Lüneburg — Abfertigungsstelle
HZA Göttingen — Abfertigungsstelle
HZA Hannover — Abfertigungsstelle
Nordrhein-Westfalen HZA Dortmund — ZA OstRheinland-Pfalz HZA Trier — ZA Idar-Oberstein, Grenzkontroll-
stelle Flughafen Hahn, Gebäude 401
Sachsen HZA Dresden — ZA Friedrichstadt, Grenzkon-
trollstelle Dresden/Friedrichstadt (für
Eisenbahntransport)
HZA Pirna — ZA Zinnwald, Grenzkontrollstelle
Zinnwald (für Straßentransport)
HZA Löbau — ZA Ludwigsdorf-Autobahn,
Grenzkontrollstelle Ludwigsdorf (für
Straßentransport)
Schleswig-Holstein HZA Kiel — ZA Wik, Grenzkontrollstelle Kiel
Ostuferhafen
HZA Lübeck — ZA Travemünde Grenzkontroll-
stelle
ΕΛΛΑ∆Α Αθηνών, Πειραιά, Κρατικού Αερολιµένα Αθηνών, Θεσ /νίκης,
Αερολιµένα Μίκρας, Βόλου, Πατρών, Ηρακλείου, Αερολιµένα
ΗρακλείουΚρήτης,Καβάλας,Ιωαννίνων,Ναυπλίου1999R1661 — EN — 29.07.2000 — 001.001 — 8
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Member State Customs offices
ESPAÑA Algeciras (Puerto), Alicante (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Almería (Aeropuerto,
Puerto), Barcelona (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Bilbao (Aeropuerto, Puerto),
Cádiz (Puerto), Cartagena (Puerto), Gijón (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Huelva
(Puerto), La Coruña-Santiago de Compostela (Aeropuerto, Puerto), Las
Palmas de 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-Villagareia
(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)
St-Louis/Bâle (transport aérien et terrestre)
Strasbourg (transport terrestre)
Orly (transport aérien)
Bordeaux (transport aérien)
Lyon-Satolas (transport aérien)
Nice-aéroport (transport aérien)
Toulouse-Blagnac (transport aérien)
Thionville (transport terrestre)
Saint-Julien-en-Genevois (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 di Bologna — Panicale
Ufficio di Sanità marittima ed aerea di Bari
Posto d'Ispezione frontaliera di Chiasso
LUXEMBOURG Bureau des Douanes et Accises Centre Douanier — Luxembourg
Bureau des Douanes et Accises Luxembourg-Aéroport — Niederanven
NEDERLAND All customs offices
ÖSTERREICH Drasenhofen (Repulik Tschechien)
Berg (Slowakische Republik)
Nickelsdorf (Republik Ungarn)
Heiligenkreuz (Republik Ungarn)
Spielfeld (Republik Slownien)
Tisis (Schweiz)
Wien Flughafen Schwechat
PORTUGAL Airports of Lisabon, Porto and faro
Ports of Lisbon an Leixões.
SUOMI-FINLAND Helsinki, Vaalimaa, Niirala, Vartius, Raja-Jooseppi, Utsjoki, Kilpisjärvi
SVERIGE Arlanda, Göteborg, Landvetter, Helsingborg, Karlskrona, Stockholm,
Ystad, Wallhamn, Varberg
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 — 29.07.2000 — 001.001 — 9
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ANNEXIV
LISTOFTHIRDCOUNTRIESREFERREDTOINARTICLE3
Albania
Belarus
Bosnia and HerzegovinaBulgariaCroatia
CzechRepublic
EstoniaHungary
Latvia
LiechtensteinLithuaniaFormer Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Moldova
NorwayPoland
Romania
RussiaSlovak RepublicSlovenia
Switzerland
TurkeyUkraineFederal Republic of Yugoslavia1999R1661 — EN — 29.07.2000 — 001.001 — 10