1999/837/EC: Council Decision of 15 November 1999 amending Decision No 97/132/EC 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

COUNCIL DECISION
of 15 November 1999
amending Decision No 97/132/EC 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
(1999/837/EC)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 133 thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Whereas:
(1) 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) has not yet entered into force because certain technical amendments are necessary to the Annexes to the Agreement before it can be applied in practice;
(2) Decision 97/132/EC does not provide for a procedure for amendment of the Annexes; however, the Council has adopted 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(2), which includes such a procedure;
(3) since the Agreement with New Zealand was concluded, equivalence has been agreed in principle for several more products and it is necessary to amend Annex V to that Agreement to take account of this; it is also necessary to amend certain other Annexes to take account of changes in inspection fees and other administrative matters;
(4) in order to ensure the effective implementation of the Agreement with New Zealand, and for reasons of consistency, the procedure for amendment of the Annexes to the Agreement with the United States of America should be added to Decision 97/132/EC;
(5) the Community and the New Zealand competent authority have agreed, in the form of an Exchange of Letters, the determination of the sanitary measures applicable to trade in live animals and animal products; the Exchange of Letters should be approved,