L 328/28 Official Journal of the European Communities 4.12.98 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 25 November 1998 amending Decision 98/256/EC as regards certain emergency measures to protect against bovine spongiform encephalopathy (notified under document number C(1998) 3773) (Text with EEA relevance) (98/692/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Directive 89/662/EEC of 11 December 1989 concerning veterinary checks in intra- Community trade with a view to the completion of the internal market ('), as last amended by Directive 92/ 118/EEC (?), and in particular Article 9(4) thereof, O () () Q) () oJj L oJ L o] L oJ L Whereas Council Decision 98/256/EC of 16 March 1998 concerning emergency measures to protect against bovine spongiform encephalopathy, amend- ing Decision 94/474/EC and repealing Decision 96/239/EC(®), as amended by Commission Decision 98/564/EC (*), provided for a step-by-step approach to the lifting of the ban on the dispatch to other Member States and third countries of prod- ucts from bovine animals slaughtered in the United Kingdom; whereas the first step was the lifting of the prohibitions on the dispatch of products from bovine animals slaughtered, cut, processed and stored in establishments exclusively used for prod- ucts destined for dispatch to other Member States 395, 30. 12. 1989, p. 13. 62, 15. 3. 1993, p. 49. 113, 15. 4. 1998, p. 32. 273, 9. 10. 1998, p. 37. and third countries, and located in Northern Ireland; whereas subsequent steps will include the lifting of the prohibition on the processing of eligible meat from Northern Ireland in Great Britain, under conditions which will be laid down at a later stage; whereas the Commission will immediately start investigating, with the authorities of the United Kingdom, by what means and under what conditions those restrictions may be further relaxed,; Whereas the date on which the dispatch of prod- ucts under the Export Certified Herds Scheme (ECHS) could commence was set at 1 June 1998 by Commission Decision 98/351/EC (%), Whereas the United Kingdom put forward a first proposal for a Date-Based Export Scheme (DBES) with a view to permitting, subject to certain condi- tions, the dispatch of products from animals born after a certain date to the Commission on 2 October 1997; whereas the Scientific Steering Committee concluded at its meetings of 8 and 9 December 1997 and 22 and 23 January 1998 that () OJ L 157, 30. 5. 1998, p. 110.