2003/331/EC: Commission Decision of 7 May 2003 amending Decision 2003/56/EC on health certificates for the importation of live animals and animal products from New Zealand (Text with EEA relevance) (notified under document number C(2003) 1460)
Date: 2003-05-07
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: New Zealand, animal product, health certificate, health legislation, import licence, live animal, originating product, trade agreement, veterinary legislation

L 116/24

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

13.5.2003

COMMISSION

COMMISSION DECISION

of 7 May 2003

amending Decision 2003/56/EC on health certificates for the importation of live animals and
animal products from New Zealand

(notified under document number C(2003) 1460)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2003/331/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

(4)

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Decision 97/132/EC of 17 December
1996 on the conclusion of
the Agreement between the
European Community and New Zealand on sanitary measures
applicable to trade in live animals and animal products (1), as
amended by Decision 1999/837/EC (2), and in particular Article
4 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

Commission Decision 2003/56/EC of 24 January 2003
on health certificates for the importation of live animals
and animal products from New Zealand (3), lays down
the certification requirements and models of the official
health certificates for the importation of live animals and
animal products from New Zealand.

That Decision implements full equivalence for certain
animal products by laying down the models of the offi-
cial health certificates on that basis in accordance with
Annex VII to the Agreement between the Community
and New Zealand on sanitary measures applicable to
trade in live animals and animal products (the Agree-
ment).

In order to facilitate the changeover to the new official
health certificates, Decision 2003/56/EC provides for a
transitional period of a maximum of 90 days. That tran-
sitional period expires on 2 May 2003.

(1) OJ L 57, 26.2.1997, p. 4.
(2) OJ L 332, 23.12.1999, p. 1.
(3) OJ L 22, 25.1.2003, p. 38.

The Joint Management Committee for the Agreement, in
its meeting of 27 and 28 February, issued a recommen-
dation concerning determination of equivalence of certi-
fication systems for a further range of animal products.
That recommendation,
leading to full equivalence for
those products, needs to be implemented in accordance
with Annex VII to the Agreement. Therefore, the model
of the official health certificate for those products as laid
down in Annex I to Decision 2003/56/EC should also
be replaced by the model as set out in Annexes II to V
to that Decision.

(5)

(6)

Accordingly, in order to facilitate the changeover to the
new official health certificates, it is necessary to extend
the transitional period provided for in Decision 2003/
56/EC by a further 30 days.

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accor-
dance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on
the Food Chain and Animal Health,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Article 4 of Decision 2003/56/EC is replaced by the following:

‘Article 4

For a transitional period not exceeding 120 days from the
date of application of this Decision, Member States shall
authorise the importation of
live animals and animal
products set out in Annex I under the models of certificates
previously applicable.’

13.5.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 116/25

Article 2

Article 3

This Decision shall apply from 2 May 2003.

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Done at Brussels, 7 May 2003.

For the Commission

David BYRNE

Member of the Commission