COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING REGULATION (EU) 2020/2202

of 22 December 2020

amending Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1251/2008 as regards the entries for the United Kingdom and the Crown Dependencies in the list of third countries, territories, zones or compartments authorised for the import into the European Union of consignments of aquaculture animals

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Council Directive 2006/88/EC of 24 October 2006 on animal health requirements for aquaculture animals and products thereof, and on the prevention and control of certain diseases in aquatic animals (1), and in particular Article 22 and Article 61(3) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Commission Regulation (EC) No 1251/2008 (2) establishes requirements for the import into the Union of aquaculture animals. More particularly, Annex III to that Regulation lists the third countries, territories, zones or compartments from which the import into the Union of consignments of aquaculture animals is authorised.

(2) The United Kingdom has provided the necessary guarantees required by Regulation (EC) No 1251/2008 in order for the United Kingdom and the Crown Dependancies of Guernsey, the Isle of Man and Jersey to be listed in Annex III to that Regulation at the end of the transition period provided for in the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community (Withdrawal Agreement), without prejudice to the application of Union law to and in the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland in accordance with Article 5(4) of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland to the Withdrawal Agreement in conjunction with Annex 2 to that Protocol. Taking into account the guarantees provided by the United Kingdom, that third country and the Crown Dependencies should be included in Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1251/2008.

(3) Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1251/2008 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(4) As the transitional period provided for in the Withdrawal Agreement ends on 31 December 2020, this Regulation should apply from 1 January 2021.

(5) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1 Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1251/2008 is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.

Article 2 This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. It shall apply from 1 January 2021.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 22 December 2020. For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN

(1) OJ L 328, 24.11.2006, p. 14.

(2) Commission Regulation (EC) No 1251/2008 of 12 December 2008 implementing Council Directive 2006/88/EC as regards conditions and certification requirements for the placing on the market and the import into the Community of aquaculture animals and products thereof and laying down a list of vector species (OJ L 337, 16.12.2008, p. 41).