2000/759/EC: Commission Decision of 1 December 2000 repealing Decision 1999/253/EC on protective measures with regard to certain fishery products from or originating in Kenya and Tanzania and amending the health certification for fishery products originating or proceeding from Kenya (notified under document number C(2000) 3653) (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2000-12-01
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Kenya, Tanzania, fishery product, health certificate, health control, originating product

L 304/18

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

5.12.2000

COMMISSION DECISION

of 1 December 2000

repealing Decision 1999/253/EC on protective measures with regard to certain fishery products
from or originating in Kenya and Tanzania and amending the health certification for fishery
products originating or proceeding from Kenya

(notified under document number C(2000) 3653)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2000/759/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

(5)

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

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Decision 1999/253/EC is repealed.

Article 2

Point IV of the health certificate laid down in the Annex to
Decision 95/328/EEC and accompanying the consignments of
fishery products from or originating in Kenya and caught in
the Lake Victoria, must be completed by the following:

‘— The official inspector hereby certifies that the fishery
specified above were produced under a
products
system of monitoring checks as laid down in chapter V,
point II.3.B of the Annex to Directive 91/493/EEC, and
the results of these checks are satisfactory.’

Article 3

Member States shall modify the measures they apply to trade to
bring them into line with this Decision. They shall immediately
inform the Commission thereof.

Article 4

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 1 December 2000.

For the Commission

David BYRNE

Member of the Commission

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 97/78/EC of 18 December
1997 laying down the principles governing the organisation of
veterinary checks on products entering the Community from
third countries (1), and in particular Article 22(6) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Following some cases involving fish poisoning on Lake
Victoria suspected to be caused by the presence of pesti-
cides in the water of the Lake Victoria and by fishery
malpractice, the Commission adopted Decision 1999/
following the
253/EC (2). This Decision foresees that
receipt of information on the evolution of the situation
and the guarantees provided by the Competent Authori-
ties of Kenya and Tanzania the Decision may be
reviewed.

On the basis of the results of an inspection visit and the
guarantees provided by the official authorities
in
Tanzania, Decision 1999/253/EC was amended to
permit the resumption of the imports of the fishery
products caught in Lake Victoria and originating from
this country.

On the basis of the results of an inspection visit and the
guarantees provided by the official authorities in Kenya,
it is now proposed to repeal Decision 1999/253/EC.

It is necessary to subject all the fishery products caught
in Lake Victoria to appropriated checking intended to
ensure that
they are healthy, such checks must be
capable of detecting, in particular, the presence of pesti-
cides. Therefore, it is necessary to align the certification
requirements for Kenya to those already applicable to
Uganda and Tanzania, and thus to add a specific
mention of the appropriate check in the health certifi-
imported
cate
from Kenya and established in Commission Decision
95/328/EC (3).

accompanying the

fishery products

(1) OJ L 24, 30.1.1998, p. 9.
(2) OJ L 98, 13.4.1999, p. 15.
(3) OJ L 191, 12.8.1995, p. 32.