L 340/22 Official Journal of the European Union 19.12.2008 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1291/2008 of 18 December 2008 concerning the approval of control programmes for salmonella in certain third countries in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council and listing of avian influenza surveillance programmes in certain third countries and amending Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 798/2008 (Text with EEA relevance) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Directive 90/539/EEC of 15 October 1990 on animal health conditions governing intra-Community trade in, and imports from third countries of, poultry and hatching eggs ('), and in particular Article 21(1), Article 22(3), Article 23, Article 24(2) and Articles 26 and 27a thereof, Having regard to Council Directive 2002/99/EC  of 16 December 2002 laying down the animal health rules governing the production, processing, distribution and intro- duction of products of animal origin for human consumption (3), and in particular Article 8(4) and Article 9(2)(b) thereof, Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 November 2003 on the control of Salmonella and other specified food- borne zoonotic agents (}), and in particular Article 10(2) thereof, Whereas: (1)  Commission Regulation (EC) No 798/2008 of 8 August 2008 laying down a list of third countries, territories, zones or compartments from which poultry and poultry products may be imported into and transit through the Community and the veterinary certification requirements (*) provides that the commodities covered by that Regulation are only to be imported into and transit through the Community from the third countries, territories, zones or compartments listed in the table in Part 1 of Annex I thereto. It also lays down the veterinary certification requirements for such commodities and models of the veterinary certificates to accompany them are set out in Part 2 of that Annex. Regulation (EC) No 798/2008 applies from 1 January 20009. ! 303, 31.10.1990, p. 6. 18, 23.1.2003, p. 11. 325, 12.12.2003, p. 1. 226, 23.8.2008, p. 1. | il ol ol 4 () O () O () 0 () o ) Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 798/2008 provides that where an avian influenza surveillance programme is required in the certificate, commodities are only to be imported into the Community from those third countries, territories, zones or compartments which have had such a programme in place for a period for at least six months and the programme meets that requirement referred to in that Article and is indicated in column 7 of the table in Part 1 of Annex I to that Regulation. Brazil, Canada, Chile, Croatia, South Africa, Switzerland and the United States of America have submitted their avian influenza surveillance programmes to the Commission for evaluation. The Commission has examined those programmes and they meet the requirements referred to in Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 798/2008. Accordingly, those programmes should be indicated in column 7 of the table in Part 1 of Annex I to that Regulation. Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003 lays down rules for the control of Salmonella and other zoonotic agents in different poultry populations in the Community. It provides for Community targets for the reduction of the prevalence of all Salmonella serotypes with public health significance in different poultry populations. As from the dates mentioned in Annex I, column 5 of that Regulation, admission to or retention on the list of third countries provided for in Community legislation, for the relevant species or category, from which Member States are authorised to import those animals or hatching eggs covered by this Regulation shall be subject to submission to the Commission by the third country concerned of a control programme. Such programme should be equivalent to those submitted by the Member States and subject to approval by the Commission. Croatia has submitted to the Commission its control programmes for Salmonella in breeding poultry of Gallus gallus, hatching eggs thereof, laying hens of Gallus gallus, table eggs thereof and day-old chicks of Gallus gallus intended for breeding or laying. Those programmes provide guarantees equivalent to the guar- antees provided for in Regulation (EC) No 2160/2003. They should therefore be approved.