2003/403/EC: Council Decision of 26 May 2003 amending Decision 2003/17/EC on the equivalence of field inspections carried out in third countries on seed producing crops and on the equivalence of seed produced in third countries (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2003-05-26
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: Lithuania, plant health control, seed

7.6.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 141/23

II

(Acts whose publication is not obligatory)

COUNCIL

COUNCIL DECISION

of 26 May 2003

amending Decision 2003/17/EC on the equivalence of field inspections carried out in third coun-
tries on seed producing crops and on the equivalence of seed produced in third countries

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2003/403/EC)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 66/401/EEC of 14 June
1966 on the marketing of fodder plant seed (1), and in parti-
cular Article 16(1) thereof,

Having regard to Council Directive 66/402/EEC of 14 June
1966 on the marketing of cereal seed (2), and in particular
Article 16(1) thereof,

Having regard to Council Directive 2002/57/EC of 13 June
2002 on the marketing of seed of oil and fibre plants (3), and in
particular Article 20(1) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

In its Decision 2003/17/EC (4), the Council determined
that field inspections carried out in certain third coun-
tries on seed-producing crops of certain species and seed
produced in certain third countries satisfy the conditions
laid down in Directives 66/401/EEC, 66/402/EEC, 2002/
57/EC and in Council Directive 2002/54/EC of 13 June
2002 on the marketing of beet seed (5).

It has since been established that in Lithuania there are
also rules on seeds control for a range of plant species
which provide for official field inspections to be carried
out during the period of seed production.

(1) OJ 125, 11.7.1966, p. 2298/66. Directive as last amended by Direc-

tive 2001/64/EC (OJ L 234, 1.9.2001, p. 60).

(2) OJ 125, 11.7.1966, p. 2309/66. Directive as last amended by Direc-

tive 2001/64/EC.

(3) OJ L 193, 20.7.2002, p. 74. Directive as amended by Directive

2002/68/EC (OJ L 195, 24.7.2002, p. 32).

(4) OJ L 8, 14.1.2003, p. 10.
(5) OJ L 193, 20.7.2002, p. 12.

(3)

(4)

Those rules provide in principle that seed may be offi-
cially certified and seed packages officially closed in
accordance with the OECD Schemes for the Varietal
Certification of Seed moving in International Trade. The
rules also provide for seed sampling and testing in accor-
dance with the methods of the International Seed Testing
Association (ISTA).

An examination of those rules and the manner in which
they are applied in Lithuania has shown that the field
inspection of seed-producing crops satisfies the condi-
tions laid down in Directives 66/401/EEC, 66/402/EEC
and 2002/57/EC. The national provisions governing seed
harvested and controlled in Lithuania afford the same
assurances as regards the seed's characteristics and the
arrangements for its examination, for ensuring seed iden-
tification, for marking and for control as the provisions
applicable to seed harvested and controlled within the
Community, provided that further conditions for seed-
producing crops and seed produced,
in particular in
respect of packages marking, are satisfied.

(5)

Lithuania should therefore be granted equivalence in
respect of certain species.

(6)

Decision 2003/17/EC should therefore be amended
accordingly,

L 141/24

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

7.6.2003

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

In Annex I to Decision 2003/17/EC the following item is inserted after the item relating to Latvia:

‘Lithuania

Ministry of Agriculture,
Vilnius

66/401/EEC
66/402/EEC
2002/57/EC’

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Article 2

Done at Brussels, 26 May 2003.

For the Council

The President

G. DRYS