Draft DECISION OF THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE amending Annex I (Veterinary and phytosanitary matters) to the EEA Agreement - Draft common position of the Community

(presented by the Commission)

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

1. Decision of the EEA Joint Committee No 189/1999 of 17 December 1999 provided for a transitional period for Iceland with regard to Council Directive 91/67/EEC until 30 June 2001.

2. The granting of a transitional period was justified by the fact that the analyses of the characteristics of certain diseases were necessary. As work has not yet been completed the transitional period for Iceland should be extended until 30 June 2002.

3. The EEA Joint Committee should therefore adopt the attached decision to amend Annex I to the EEA Agreement.

4. Article 1(3)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 2894/94 concerning the arrangements for implementing the EEA Agreement envisages that the Council establishes the Community position for this kind of decisions.

5. The Council is therefore requested to agree to the attached draft Community position for adoption as an EEA Joint Committee Decision.

Draft DECISION OF THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE amending Annex I (Veterinary and phytosanitary matters) to the EEA Agreement

THE EEA JOINT COMMITTEE,

Having regard to the Agreement on the European Economic Area, as amended by the Protocol adjusting the Agreement on the European Economic Area, hereinafter referred to as 'the Agreement', and in particular Article 98 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Annex I to the Agreement was amended by Decision of the EEA Joint Committee No ... of ... [1].

[1] OJ L ...

(2) Council Directive 91/67/EEC of 28 January 1991 concerning the animal health conditions governing the placing on the market of aquaculture animals and products [2] was incorporated into the Agreement by Decision of the EEA Joint Committee No 69/98 of 17 July 1998 [3].

[2] OJ L 46, 19.2.1991, p. 1.

[3] OJ L 158, 24.6.1999, p. 1.

(3) Decision of the EEA Joint Committee No 189/1999 of 17 December 1999 [4] provided for a transitional period for Iceland with regard to Council Directive 91/67/EEC until 30 June 2001.

[4] OJ L 74, 15.3.2001, p. 24.

(4) The granting of a transitional period was justified by the fact that the analyses of the characteristics of certain diseases were necessary. In light of the fact that the work is still going on it is justified to prolong the transitional period for Iceland until 30 June 2002.

(5) This Decision is not to apply to Liechtenstein,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

In point 5 (Council Directive 91/67/EEC) in Part 4.1 of Chapter I of Annex I to the Agreement, the date '30 June 2001' in paragraph 2 of Article 28d in the adaptation text shall be replaced by the date '30 June 2002'.

Article 2

This Decision shall enter into force on , provided that all the notifications under Article 103(1) of the Agreement have been made to the EEA Joint Committee [5].

[5] No constitutional requirements indicated.

Article 3

This Decision shall be published in the EEA Section of, and in the EEA Supplement to, the Official Journal of the European Communities.

Done at Brussels, .

For the EEA Joint Committee

The President

The Secretaries

to the EEA Joint Committee