2005/405/EC: Commission Decision of 4 May 2005 approving on behalf of the European Community amendments to the annexes to the Agreement between the European Community and the United States of America on sanitary measures to protect public and animal health in trade in live animals and animal products (notified under document number C(2005) 1369)   (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2005-05-04
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: United States, animal product, live animal, public health, trade agreement (EU), veterinary inspection

31.5.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 137/31

COMMISSION

COMMISSION DECISION

of 4 May 2005

approving on behalf of the European Community amendments to the annexes to the Agreement
between the European Community and the United States of America on sanitary measures to
protect public and animal health in trade in live animals and animal products

(notified under document number C(2005) 1369)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2005/405/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

Having regard to Council Decision 98/258/EC of 16 March
1998 on the conclusion of
the Agreement between the
European Community and the United States of America on
sanitary measures to protect public and animal health in trade
in live animals and animal products (1), and in particular the
third paragraph of Article 4 thereof,

(4)

(5)

tional audit guidelines. As a result of these recommen-
dations it is appropriate to amend Annexes V and VI and
footnote (1) to the Agreement.

Those amendments should be approved on behalf of the
Community.

The measures provided for
accordance with
Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,

in this Decision are in
Standing
the

opinion

the

of

Whereas:

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

(1)

(2)

(3)

The Community standard testing method for Enterobac-
teriaceae and Total Viable Count
in meat has been
recognised as equivalent to the US testing method for
Escherichia coli.

The Community and the US have conducted negotiations
on an additional
including
guidelines on animal health investigations. These nego-
tiations led to a text for those guidelines which is agreed
by both Parties.

set of audit guidelines

the

to the

recommendations made by

Pursuant
Joint
Management Committee established under Article 14 of the
Agreement between the European Community and the United
States of America on sanitary measures to protect public and
animal health in trade in live animals and animal products, the
amendments to point 6 of Annex V, to Annex VI, and to
footnote (1) to the said Agreement are hereby approved on
behalf of the European Community.

The text of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of
Letters, including the amendments to point 6 of Annex V, to
footnote (1) and to Annex VI to the Agreement, is attached to
this Decision.

The Joint Management Committee for the Agreement
issued recommendations concerning
(the Committee)
the determination of equivalence between the two
testing methods and concerning the adoption of addi-

Article 2

(1) OJ L 118, 21.4.1998, p. 1. Decision last amended by Commission

Decision 2003/833/EC (OJ L 316, 29.11.2003, p. 20).

The Director-General for Health and Consumer Protection is
hereby empowered to sign the Agreement in the form of an
Exchange of Letters in order to bind the Community.

L 137/32

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

31.5.2005

Article 3

This Decision shall apply from the first day of the month following the month in which the United States of
America notifies the Commission in writing that its internal procedures for the approval of the amendments
referred to in Article 1 have been completed.

Done at Brussels, 4 May 2005.

For the Commission

Markos KYPRIANOU
Member of the Commission