CELEX: 51987PC0207
Language: en
Date: 1987-05-19
Title: Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION on a system for health control of imports from third countries at frontier inspection posts (SHIFT Project) (presented by the Commission)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (87) 207
Vol. 1987/0119
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 ---pagebreak--- COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                               COM(87 ) 207 final
                                               Brussels , 19 May 1987
                                   Proposai for a
                                  COUNCIL DECISION
         on a system for health control of imports from third countries
                  at frontier inspection posts ( SHIFT Project )
                          ( presented by the Commission )
 C0M(87 ) 207 final
 ---pagebreak---                                     Explanatory Note    >1
Directive 72 / 462 / EEC provides for the establishment of a system to monitor the
importation of animals and meat from third countries , to ensure their
acceptability from both animal and public health points of view , before
allowing them into the Community . Subsequent Decisions and Directives ,
notably 85 / 649 / EEC on the use of hormones in meat-producing animals and
86 / 469 / EEC on examination of animals and fresh meat for the presence of
residues , have indicated the need for inspection and testing of imported
animals and meat to ensure conformity with Community regulations .     As a
consequence , it will be necessary to establish a system of inspection posts ,
all of which must be provided with the information required to carry out the
required checks and inspections , and must also record certain statistics .
Furthermore , communications between these posts must be established in such a
way as to prevent fraudulent activities , as for example could occur when
products are transhipped through the Community .     It is clear that these aims
can best be met by use of modern information and communication technology . On
4th February 1986 the Council agreed to the C.D. Project as a means of
coordinating the computerisation of administrative procedures between Member
States . This project does not , however , take account of the particular
veterinary problems foreseen by SHIFT , nor does it provide for consultations
between veterinary and informatics experts from Member States and the
Commission , taking account of progress in the field of computerisation
specifically within the veterinary sector .
As yet , not all of the enabling legislation for the inspection posts has been
completed , but it is considered that the SHIFT Project should be developed in
parallel with the enabling legislation , in order that there will be as short a
delay as possible between agreement on procedures to be used at these posts
and implementation of a modern communication and data processing system to
handle the information . These proposals are seen as particularly important to
allow free movement of animals and animal products from Third Countries within
the Community , while maintaining adequate health safeguards .
It is therefore necessary that the Council should indicate its willingness to
proceed on this basis , to enable the Commission to allocate resources to a
full study of the problem , with the objective of producing a detailed analysis
of the proposed computer system , including hardware , software , communications ,
manpower requirements and estimated costs . On the basis of the Decision
proposed herein , Commission veterinary and informatics experts will be able to
examine the requirement of each legal instrument , as it exists or is adopted ,
and , by liaising with similar experts from Member States , formulate a proposal
for consideration by the CADDIA steering Committee and the Standing Veterinary
Committee .
 ---pagebreak---                                            - 2 -
                                    Proposai for a
                                   COUNCIL DECISION
          on a system for health control of imports from third countries
                   at frontier inspection posts ( SHIFT Project )
 THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
 Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community , and
 in particular Article 43 thereof ,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament ,
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee ,
Whereas the Community , by Council Directive 72 / 462 / EEC of     12 December 1972
on health and veterinary inspection problems upon importation of bovine
animals and swine and fresh meat from third countries ( 1 ), as last amended by
Directive 87 / 64 EEC ( 2 ), has made provision for
health and veterinary inspection problems upon importation of bovine animals
and swine and fresh meat from third countries ;
Whereas Article 27 of that Directive requires Member States to provide lists
of inspection posts for the control of the importation of such animais and
méat ;
Whereas , furthermore , Commission Decision 84 / 390 / EEC of  -11 July 1984 laying
down guidelines for the approval of frontier inspection posts for the importa ¬
tion of bovine animals and swine from third countries ( 3 )       requires Member
States to draw up and communicate to the Commission lists of posts which
correspond to the guidelines in that Decision ;
( 1 ) OJ L 302 of 31.12.1972 , p. 28
( 2 ) OJ L 34 of 05.02.1987 , p. 52
( 3 ) OJ L 211 of 08.08.1984 , p. 20
 ---pagebreak---                                                3
Whereas Decision 84 / 390 / EEC also requires staff at these posts to have at
their disposal all information relating to the situation in the country of
origin of the animals or meat , and to the Community animal and public health
requirements for such animals and meat ; whereas furthermore , as far as bovine
animals and swine are concerned , the competent authority is obliged to provide
this information to the official veterinarian at the inspection post syste¬
matically , and to record certain details of imported bovine animals and swine
and to retain such details for twelve months ;
Whereas , under Article 20(b ) ( i ) and ( ii ) of Directive
72 / 462 / EEC , and Article 6(1 ) of Council Directive 85 / 649 / EEC of 31 December 1985
prohibiting the use in livestock farming of certain substances having a
hormonal action ( 4 ), Member States are required to prohibit the importation
into their territory of animals or meat of animals treated with certain
hormones or thyrostatic substances , or containing residues of other substances
at a hazardous level ;
Whereas Article 24 of Directive 72 / 462 / EEC requires that random sampling must
be carried out to verify the presence of these substances ; whereas ,
furthermore , as far as hormonal substances are concerned , Article 6 of
Directive 85 / 649 / EEC requires the establishment of a programme of controls on
imports from each third country , including systematic inspections in the event
of positive results ;
Whereas , under Article 8 of Council Directive 85/358/EEC of 16 July 1985 supplementing
Directive 81 / 602 / EEC concerning the prohibition of certain substances having a
hormonal action and of any substances having a thyrostatic action ( 5 ), and
Article 9 of Council Directive 86/469/EEC of 16 September 1986 concerning the examination of animais and
fresh meat for the presence of residues ( 6 ), if the results of tests on
animais or méat indicates the need for further investigation , the Member State
concerned must notify other Member States and the Commission ;
Whereas a System to monitor fresh méat from third countries for such substan¬
ces would require the application of statistical sampling methods to such méat
on a Commun ity basis;
( 4 ) OJ No L 382 ,    31.12.1985 , p. 228
( 5 ) OJ No L 191 ,   23.7.1985 , p. 46
( 6 ) OJ No L 275 >   26.9.1986 , p. 36
 ---pagebreak---                                            - 4 -
Whereas Article 23 of Directive 72 / 462 / EEC requires fresh meat to be subjected
to an animal health inspection , whatever the procedure under which it is
declared , and prohibits importation if it is found that the meat does not come
from an approved country or establishment , or if it comes from a prohibited
country , or if it is not covered by a health certificate which complies with the
conditions of Article 22 of that      Directive ;
Whereas such sampling routines and other requirements for the exchange of
information between inspection posts , Member States and the Commission require
that use be made of modern communications and data processing technology to
manage the flow of data to ensure that the inspection procedure does not
hinder the free movement of goods , by making the information freely and
quickly available at all levels ;
Whereas the rapid flow of data will provide safeguards against the risk of the
introduction of bovine animals , swine or fresh meat which themselves present a
hazard in respect of animal or public health , because of the situation in the
country of origin , and in particular because of false declarations which may
be made ;
Whereas the use of modern technology will allow the application of extra safe ¬
guards without impeding the flow of imported goods ;
Whereas the Council adopted a Resolution on the computerisation of the
administrative procedures relating to intra-Community trade ( 7 ); whereas, further
to that Resolution , the Commission presented to the Council a communication on
the coordinated development of computerized administrative procedures ( 8 ),
which provides a framework for developing computerised systems for
international trade extending up to 31 December 1991 ; whereas that
communication broadened the scope of the said Resolution since it not only
established guidelines for developing national computerised systems dealing
with intra-Community trade but also covered systems for external trade and the
interconnection of the relevant systems of the Commission with those of the
Member States ( the CD project );
( 7 ) OJ No C 137 , 24.5.1984 , p. 1
( 8 ) OJ C  15 of 16.01.1985 , p. 1
 ---pagebreak---                                           5
Whereas , however , the CD Project does not itself take account of the special
requirements of veterinary inspection services in Member States ; whereas ,
therefore , these requirements should be examined in detail and measures
 introduced to ensure that the necessary inspections and tests are carried out
as efficiently and speedily as possible ;
Whereas the Commission should be responsible for implementing measures
necessary for the co-ordinated development of computerisation of these
procedures ; whereas these objectives are an integral part of the general
framework of the CADDIA programme ; whereas it is necessary to establish an
appropriate procedure which allows the Commission to adopt Community measures
necessary for the implementation of the SHIFT Project ,
HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS   :
                                      Article 1
The Commission shall be responsible for the coordination of the development of
computerisation of veterinary importation procedures ( SHIFT Project ) by the
Member States and itself during the period extending until 31 December 1991 .
                                     Artide 2
The SHIFT Project shall be undertaken as part of the CADDIA programme in
conformity with its long term objectives of providing the necessary
organisational infrastructure and data processing facilities to enable the
Commission and Member States to obtain access to and process , expeditiously
and efficiently , the information needed to achieve the objectives of such
Regulations and Directives as may be or have been enacted in application of
 ---pagebreak---                                                   6
 Directive 72 / 462 / EEC , and in particular Articles 20 , 22 , 23 , 24 and 28 thereof ,
 Decision 84 / 390 / EEC , Directive 85 / 649 / EEC , Directive 86 / 469 / EEC , and such other
Régulations , Directives and Decisions as may be made in the field of
harmonisation of animal and public health rules relating to the importation of
animais and animal products from third countries .
                                            Article 3
In order to achieve the objectives of the SHIFT project , the Commission ,
acting in accordance with the procedure set out in Article 4 , shall :
     establish a programme for the development and application of systems
      designed to achieve the objectives set out in Article 2 ;
     coordinate the action to be taken by Member States in this respect ;
     adopt appropriate standards for the interchange of data and rules governing
     the security of the data exchanged .
                                            Article 4
1 . Where the procedure set out         in this Article is to be followed , the
     Standing Veterinary Committee , instituted by Council Decision 68/361 /EEC (9) and
     the CADD1A Steering Committee , instituted by Council Decision
     85 / 214 / EEC ( 10 ), shall give an opinion on matters referred to them by the
    Commission .
(9)     OJ No L 255 of 18.10.1968 , p. 23
( 10 ) OJ No L      96 of 03.04.1985 , p. 35
 ---pagebreak---                                           7
2 . In requesting thè opinion of thè Committees menti oned in paragraph 1 , thè
    Commission may fix a time limit within which this opinion shall be
    delivered .
    The deliberations of these Committees shall not be followed by a vote .
    However , each member of the Committees may demand that his opinion be
    recorded in the minutes .
Done at Brussels ,
                                                   For the Council