1999/228/EC: Commission Decision of 5 March 1999 amending Council Decision 79/542/EEC and Decisions 92/160/EEC, 92/260/EEC and 93/195/EEC and 93/197/EEC with regard to the animal health conditions for the temporary admission, re-entry and imports into the Community of registered horses from certain parts of Saudi Arabia (notified under document number C(1999) 496) (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 1999-03-05
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Saudi Arabia, equidae, health certificate, health control, import, temporary admission

27. 3. 1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 83/77

COMMISSION DECISION

of 5 March 1999

amending Council Decision 79/542/EEC and Decisions 92/160/EEC, 92/260/EEC
and 93/195/EEC and 93/197/EEC with regard to the animal health conditions for
the temporary admission, re-entry and imports into the Community of registered
horses from certain parts of Saudi Arabia

(notified under document number C(1999) 496)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(1999/228/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 90/426/EEC of 26
June 1990 on animal health conditions governing the
movement
of
equidae (1), as last amended by the Act of Accession of
Austria, Finland and Sweden, and in particular Articles
12, 13, 15, 16 and 19(ii) thereof,

from third

countries

imports

and

Whereas by Council Decision 79/542/EEC (2), as last
amended by Commission Decision 98/622/EC (3), a list of
third countries from which Member States authorise
imports of bovine animals, swine, equidae, sheep and
goats, fresh meat and meat products has been established;

Whereas by Commission Decision 92/160/EEC (4), as last
amended by Decision 97/685/EC (5), the Commission has
established the regionalisation of certain third countries
for imports of equidae;

Whereas the health conditions and veterinary certification
for the temporary admission, re-entry and imports of
registered horses are laid down respectively in Commis-
sion Decisions 92/260/EEC (6), 93/195/EEC (7) and 93/
197/EEC (8), all as last amended by Decision 98/594/
EC (9);

Whereas following a Commission veterinary inspection
mission to Saudi Arabia the animal health situation
appears to be under the satisfactory control of the veter-
inary services and in particular the movement of equidae
from certain parts of the territory into the rest of the
country appears to be well controlled;

(1) OJ L 224, 18. 8. 1990, p. 42.
(2) OJ L 146, 14. 6. 1979, p. 15.
(3) OJ L 296, 5. 11. 1998, p. 16.
(4) OJ L 71, 18. 3. 1992, p. 27.
(5) OJ L 287, 21. 10. 1997, p. 54.
(6) OJ L 130, 15. 5. 1992, p. 67.
(7) OJ L 86, 6. 4. 1993, p. 1.
(8) OJ L 86, 6. 4. 1993, p. 16.
(9) OJ L 286, 23. 10. 1998, p. 53.

Whereas the veterinary authorities of Saudi Arabia have
provided a written undertaking to notify within 24 hours
by fax, telegram, or telex to the Commission and the
Member States the confirmation of any infectious or
contagious disease in equidae mentioned in Annex A to
Directive 90/426/EEC, which are compulsorily notifiable
in the country, and within due time any change in the
vaccination or import policy in respect of equidae;

Whereas following a serological survey carried out over
the entire territory of Saudi Arabia, the country should
be considered free of glanders and dourine for at least
six months; Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis and
vesicular stomatitis have never occured, however serolo-
gical evidence was found for equine viral arteritis;

Whereas taking account of the results of the above survey,
parts of Saudi Arabia have been free from African horse
sickness for more than two years and vaccination against
this disease has not been carried out
in the country
during the last 12 months and is officially banned;
whereas, however, certain parts of Saudi Arabia cannot be
considered free of the disease;

Whereas the competent authorities of Saudi Arabia have
notified to the Commission the official approval of an
insect-protected quarantine station near Riyadh and the
specimen signatures of the official veterinarians entitled
to sign international export certificates;

Whereas for reason of the health situation in certain parts
of Saudi Arabia it appears appropriate to regionalise the
country concerned, so as to allow importation into the
Community of registered horses only from the disease-
free part of the territory of Saudi Arabia;

Whereas the animal health conditions and veterinary
certification must be adopted according to the animal
health situation of the third country concerned; whereas
the present case relates only to registered horses;

L 83/78

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

27. 3. 1999

Whereas for clarity the ISO country code should be used
for amendments of lists of third countries;

No 177 leading south to the conjunction with
road No 15 from Najran to Sharourah,

Whereas Decision 79/542/EEC and Decisions 92/
160/EEC, 92/260/EEC, 93/195/EEC and 93/197/EEC
must be amended accordingly;

Whereas the measures provided for in this Decision are in
accordance with the opinion of the Standing Veterinary
Committee,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

In Part 2 of the Annex to Decision 79/542/EEC, special
column for registered horses, the following line is inserted
in accordance with the alphabetical order of the ISO
country code:

‘SA

Saudi Arabia

X

(1)'

Article 2

The following words are added to the Annex to Decision
92/160/EEC:

‘Saudi Arabia

the whole of the territory, excluding the protection
and surveillance zones established in accordance with
the provisions of Article 13(2)(a) of Directive 90/
426/EEC, and delineated as follows:

1.

Protection zone

1.1. Province Jizan

— the whole province, except the part north of
the road control post at Ash Shuqaiq at road
No 5 and north of road No 10.

1.2. Province Asir

— the part of the province delineated by road
No 10 between Ad Darb, Abha and Kamis
Mushayt to the north, except the equestrian
clubs at the air and military bases,

— the part of the province delineated to the
north by road No 15 leading from Kamis
Mushayt
through Jarash, Al Utfah and
Dhahran Al Janoub to the border with the
province of Najran,

— the part of the province delineated to the
north by the road leading from Al Utfah
through Al Fayd to Badr Al Janoub (Province
Najran).

1.3. Province Najran

— the part of the province delineated by the
road from Al Utfah (province Asir) to Badr Al
Janoub and to As Sebt and from As Sebt
along Wadi Habunah to the conjunction with
road No 177 between Najran and Riyadh to
the north and from this conjunction by road

— the part of the province south of road No 15
between Najran and Sharourah and the border
with the Yemen.

2.

Surveillance zone

2.1. Province Jizan

— the part of the province north of the road
control post at Ash Shuqaiq at road No 5,
controlled by the road control post at Al
Qahmah, and north of road No 10.

2.2. Province Asir

— the equestrian clubs at the air and military

bases,

— the part of the province between the border of
the protection zone and road No 209 from
Ash Shuqaiq to the road control post Muhayil
on road No 211,

— the part of the province between the control
post on road No 10 south of Abha, the city of
Abha and the road control post Ballasmer 65
km from Abha on road No 15 leading north,

— the part of

the province between Khamis
Mushayt and the road control post 90 km
from Abha on road No 255 to Samakh and
the road control post at Yarah, 90 km from
Abha, on road No 10 leading to Riyadh,

— the part of the province south of a virtual line
between the road control post at Yarah on
road No 10 and Khashm Ghurab on road No
177 up to the border of
the province of
Najran.

2.3. Province Najran

— the part of

the province south of a line
between the road control post at Yarah on
road No 10 and Khashm Ghurab on road No
177 from the border of the province of Najran
until the road control post Khashm Ghurab,
80 km from Najran, and west of road No 175
leading to Sharourah'.

Article 3

Decision 92/260/EEC is amended as follows:

1. The list of third countries in Group E of Annex I is

replaced by the following:

‘United Arab Emirates (AE), Bahrain (BH), Algeria
(EG), Israel (IL), Jordan (JO), Kuwait
(DZ), Egypt (1)
(KW), Lebanon (LB), Libya (LY), Morocco (MA), Malta
(MT), Mauritius (MU), Oman (OM), Qatar (QA), Saudi
Arabia (1) (SA), Syria (SY), Tunisia (TN), Turkey (1) (TR)'.

27. 3. 1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 83/79

2. The title of the health certificate set out in Annex II(E)

Article 5

is replaced by the following:

‘HEALTH CERTIFICATE

for the temporary admission of registered horses into
Community territory from United Arab Emirates,
Bahrain, Algeria, Egypt (1),
Israel, Jordan, Kuwait,
Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Malta, Mauritius, Oman,
Qatar, Saudi Arabia (1), Syria, Tunisia, Turkey (1) for a
period of less than 90 days'.

Article 4

Decision 93/195/EEC is amended as follows:

1. The list of third countries in Group E of Annex I is

replaced by the following:

‘United Arab Emirates (AE), Bahrain (BH), Algeria
(DZ), Egypt (1)
(EG), Israel (IL), Jordan (JO), Kuwait
(KW), Lebanon (LB), Libya (LY), Morocco (MA), Malta
(MT), Mauritius (MU), Oman (OM), Qatar (QA), Saudi
Arabia (1) (SA), Syria (SY), Tunisia (TN), Turkey (1) (TR)'.

2. The list of third countries under Group E in the title of
the health certificate set out in Annex II is replaced by
the following:

‘United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Algeria, Egypt (1),
Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco,
Malta, Mauritius, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia (1), Syria,
Tunisia, Turkey (1)'.

Decision 93/197/EEC is amended as follows:

1. The list of third countries in Group E of Annex I is

replaced by the following:

(EG),
Israel
(KW), Lebanon (2)

‘United Arab Emirates (2) (AE), Bahrain(2) (BH), Algeria
(DZ), Egypt (1) (2)
(JO),
Kuwait (2)
(LY),
Morocco (MA), Malta (MT), Mauritius (MU), Oman (2)
(OM), Qatar (2) (QA), Saudi Arabia (1) (2) (SA), Syria (2)
(SY), Tunisia (TN)'.

(IL), Jordan (2)
(LB), Libya (2)

2. The title of the health certificate set out in Annex II(E)

is replaced by the following:

‘HEALTH CERTIFICATE

for imports into Community territory of registered
horses from United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt (1),
Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi
Arabia (1), Syria and of registered equidae and equidae
for breeding and production from Algeria,
Israel,
Morocco, Malta, Mauritius, Tunisia'.

Article 6

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 5 March 1999.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission