EN Official Journal of the European Union L 121/43

COMMISSION DECISION

of 5 April 2006

amending Decision 2005/432/EC laying down the animal and public health conditions and model certificates for imports of meat products for human consumption from third countries and repealing Decisions 97/41/EC, 97/221/EC and 97/222/EC

(notified under document number C(2006) 1319)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2006/330/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 92/118/EEC of 17 December 1992 laying down animal health and public health requirements governing trade in and imports into the Community of products not subject to the said requirements laid down in specific Community rules referred to in Annex A(I) to Directive 89/662/EEC and, as regards pathogens, to Directive 90/425/EEC (1), and in particular Article 10(2)(c) thereof,

Having regard to Council Directive 2002/99/EC of 16 December 2002 laying down the animal health rules governing the production, processing, distribution and introduction of products of animal origin for human consumption (2), and in particular the introductory phrase of Article 8, the first paragraph of Article 8(1), Article 8(4) and Articles 9(2)(b), (4)(b) and (c) thereof.

Whereas:

(1) Council Decision 79/542/EEC of 21 December 1976 drawing up a list of third countries or parts of third countries, and laying down animal and public health and veterinary certification conditions, for importation into the Community of certain live animals and their fresh meat (3) establishes the animal health conditions for imports into the Community of live animals, excluding equidae, and of fresh meat of such animals but excluding meat preparations.

(2) Commission Decision 2005/432/EC (4) lays down animal and public health rules on imports into the Community of consignments of certain meat products, including the lists of third countries and parts of third countries from which imports of such products are to be authorised. That Decision also lays down the model public and animal health certificates and rules on treatments required for those products.

(3) It is necessary to ensure that there is proper correlation with the regionalisation, where applicable, of third countries, and in particular of Brazil, Namibia and South Africa, for the purposes of importing fresh meat into the Community, in order to ensure that any meat used in meat products does not come from animals from premises subject to restrictions on grounds of disease, to clarify the use of offal in certain meat products and to spell out clearly the requirements for meat of game birds used in meat products.

(4) Serbia and Montenegro are Republics with their own customs territories, which together form a State Union. They should therefore be entered separately on the list of third countries and parts of third countries from which imports of meat products are to be authorised.

(5) Decision 2005/432/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.

(6) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Decision 2005/432/EC is amended as follows:

1. Article 4 is replaced by the following: ‘Article 4 Animal health conditions concerning the origin and treatment of the meat products Subject to compliance with the conditions concerning the origin and treatment of the meat products set out in Annex I(1) and (2), Member States shall authorise imports of meat products originating in the following third countries and parts of third countries: (a) in the case of meat products not subject to a specific treatment as referred to in point 2(a)(ii) of Annex I, the third countries listed in Part 2 of Annex II and the parts of third countries listed in Part 1 of that Annex; (b) in the case of meat products subject to a specific treatment as referred to in point 2(a)(ii) of Annex I, the third countries listed in Parts 2 and 3 of Annex II and the parts of third countries listed in Part 1 of that Annex.’;

2. Annexes I, II and III are replaced by the text in the Annex to this Decision.

Article 2

This Decision shall apply from 1 July 2006.

However, animal and public health certificates issued before the date of application of this Decision may be used until 1 October 2006.

Article 3

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 5 April 2006. For the Commission Markos KYPRIANOU Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 62, 15.3.1993, p. 49. Directive as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 445/2004 (OJ L 72, 11.3.2004, p. 60).

(2) OJ L 18, 23.1.2003, p. 11.

(3) OJ L 146, 14.6.1979, p. 15. Decision as last amended by Commission Decision 2006/259/EC (OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 65).

(4) OJ L 151, 14.6.2005, p. 3.