L 22/38 Official Journal of the European Communities 25.1.2003 COMMISSION DECISION of 24 January 2003 on health certificates for the importation of live animals and animal products from New Zealand (notified under document number C(2003) 326) (Text with EEA relevance) (2003/56/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to 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 ('), as last amended by Decision 2002/957[EC (), and in particular Article 4 thereof, Having regard to Council Directive 72[462[EEC of 12 December 1972 on health and veterinary inspection problems upon the importation of bovine, ovine and caprine animals and swine, fresh meat or meat products from third countries (%), as last amended by Council Regulation (EC) No 1452/2001 (%), and in particular Article 11(2) and Article 22(2) thereof, and the corresponding provisions of the other Directives estab- lishing sanitary conditions and models of certificates for the importation of live animals and animal products from third countries, Whereas: (1) Council Decision 97/132[EC provides for the adoption of guarantees for the importation of fresh meat and meat based products from New Zealand equivalent to those laid down in Council Directive 72/462EEC. (2) Annex V to the Agreement between the European Community and New Zealand on sanitary measures applicable to trade in live animals and animal products (the Agreement) establishes the public health and animal health measures for fresh meat and meat based products and for certain other animal products from New Zealand for which equivalence has been determined. (3) By its Decision 2002/957/EC amending Annexes V and VII to the Agreement, the Council has determined the equivalence of certification systems for fresh meat and meat based products and for certain other animal products from New Zealand. Such equivalence should be 1 () OJL 57, 26.2.1997, p. 4. () OJ L 333,10.12.2002, p. 13. () OJ L 302, 31.12.1972, p. 24. ( OJL 198, 21.7.2001, p. 11. (4) ®) implemented by laying down the models of the official health certificates to allow the importation of those products on that basis. Under Annex VII to the Agreement, the full equivalence of measures is the equivalence of animal health and/or public health measures as appropriate and of certifica- tion systems, without prejudice to certification require- ments not covered by the Agreement. Annex VII to the Agreement provides for model health attestations to be included in the official health certifi- cate for live animals and animal products for which full equivalence of measures has been agreed. Full equivalence has been determined for certain animal products with respect to animal health and public health and for certification systems. However, full equivalence for other animal products has been determined only for either animal or for public health measures and for certi- fication systems. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain several models of official health certificates. These official health certificates should replace those laid down in accordance with Community legislation for the importa- tion of the relevant animal products from New Zealand. For other animal products and for live animals full equivalence has not been determined. For those animal products and for live animals, the importation should be allowed on the basis of official health certificates in accordance with existing Community legislation or prevailing national health conditions of the Member States pending adoption of harmonised import condi- tions. As provided for in Annex V to the Agreement, the addi- tional guarantees for the importation of certain animal products intended for certain Member States, should be provided by New Zealand in the form of a declaration to be included in the official health certificate. The addi- tional declaration concerning transmissible spongiform encephalopathies should also be provided by New Zealand for certain products of animal origin.