Commission Regulation (EC) No 2590/2001 of 21 December 2001 approving operations to checks conformity to the marketing standards applicable to fresh fruit and vegetables carried out in Switzerland prior to import into the European Community
Date: 2001-12-21
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Switzerland, food inspection, fresh fruit, fresh vegetable, marketing standard, originating product

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COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2590/2001

of 21 December 2001

approving operations to checks conformity to the marketing standards applicable to fresh fruit and
vegetables carried out in Switzerland prior to import into the European Community

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 of 28
October 1996 on the common organisation of the market in
fruit and vegetables (1), as last amended by Commission Regu-
lation (EC) No 911/2001 (2), and in particular Article 10
thereof,

(5)

(6)

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1148/2001 of 12 June
2001 on checks on conformity to the marketing stan-
dards applicable to fresh fruit and vegetables (3), as
amended by Regulation (EC) No 2379/2001 (4),
lays
down the conditions under which the Commission may
approve checking operations performed by certain third
countries which so request prior to import into the
Community,
in compliance with the conditions laid
down in Article 7 of Regulation (EC) No 1148/2001.

for

the

approval of

the Commission a
The Swiss authorities have sent
request
checking operations
performed by Qualiservice under the responsibility of
the Office fédéral de l'agriculture. This states that that
establishment has the necessary staff, equipment and
facilities to carry out checks,
is uses methods
equivalent to those referred to in Article 9 of Regulation
(EC) No 1148/2001 and that the fresh fruit and veget-
ables exported from Switzerland to the Community
must meet the Community marketing standards.

that

The information sent by the Member States and in the
possession of the Commission shows that, in the period
1997 to 2000,
imports of fresh fruit and vegetables
from Switzerland presented a relatively low incidence of
non-conformity with the marketing standards.

For a number of years the Swiss inspection bodies, and
their supervisory authorities, have been regular partici-
pants in international efforts to agree trading standards
for fruit and vegetables, such as the Working Party on
Standardisation of Perishable Produce and Quality Devel-
opment of the United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe (UNECE) and the OECD Scheme for the
International Standards for Fruit and
Application of
Vegetables.

(1) OJ L 297, 21.11.1996, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 129, 11.5.2001, p. 3.
(3) OJ L 156, 13.6.2001, p. 9.
(4) OJ L 321, 6.12.2001, p. 15.

Imports of
fresh fruit and vegetables by Switzerland
from the Community are not subject to a quality check
prior to release for free circulation on the Swiss market.

the

that

Annex 10 to the Agreement on Trade in Agricultural
Products between the European Community and the
Swiss Confederation stipulates
controls
performed under the responsibility of the Office fédéral
de l'agriculture are to be recognised by the Community,
including
in the
those on products originating
Community and re-exported from Switzerland into the
Community. The relevant provisions of that Agreement
should be implemented before they become applicable
and consequently a derogation should be granted from
Regulation (EC) No 1148/2001 as regards the origin of
eligible products.

(7)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in
accordance with the opinion of
the Management
Committee for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

1.
Checks on conformity to the marketing standards carried
out by Switzerland on fresh fruit and vegetables from Switzer-
land shall be approved in accordance with the conditions laid
down in Article 7(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1148/2001.

2.
By derogation from Article 7(1) of Regulation (EC) No
1148/2001, paragraph 1 shall also apply to fruit and veget-
ables originating in the Community re-exported from Switzer-
land to the Community.

3.

Paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply to citrus fruit.

Article 2

The official correspondent in Switzerland, under whose respon-
sibility the checking operations are performed, and the inspec-
tion bodies in charge of carrying out those checks, as referred
to in Article 7(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1148/2001, are given
in Annex I to this Regulation.

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The certificates referred to in the second subparagraph of Article 7(3) of Regulation (EC) No 1148/2001,
issued following the checks referred to in Article 1 of this Regulation, must be drawn up on forms in
conformity with the model given in Annex II to this Regulation.

Article 3

Article 4

This Regulation shall enter into force on the 20th day following its publication in the Official Journal of the
European Communities.

It shall apply from the date of publication in the C series of the Official Journal of the European Communities
of the notice referred to in Article 7(8) of Regulation (EC) No 1148/2001 relating to the establishment of
administrative cooperation between the European Community and Switzerland.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 21 December 2001.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission

Official correspondent pursuant to Article 7(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1148/2001:

ANNEX I

Office fédéral de l'agriculture
Département fédéral de l'économie
Mattenhofstrasse 5,
CH-3003 Berne
Tel. (41-31) 324 84 21
Fax (41-31) 323 05 55

Inspection body pursuant to Article 7(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1148/2001:

Qualiservice Sàrl
Kapellenstrasse 5
Case postale 7960
CH-3001 Berne
Tel. (41-31) 385 36 90
Fax (41-31) 385 36 99

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ANNEX II