L13/24 Official Journal of the European Communities 18.1.2003 COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 10 January 2003 amending Council Directive 92/118/EEC as regards requirements for collagen (notified under document number C(2002) 5557) (Text with EEA relevance) (2003/42/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Directive 92/118/EEC of 17 December 1992 laying down animal health and public health requirements governing trade in and imports into the Commu- nity of products not subject to the said requirements laid down in specific Community rules referred to in Annex A(l) to Direc- tive 89/662/EEC and, as regards pathogens, to Directive 90/ 425[EEC ('), as last amended by Directive 2002/33/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (%), and in particular the second paragraph of Article 15 thereof, Whereas: (1) Specific public health conditions for the preparation of collagen intended for human consumption should be laid down. Provided that these conditions are the same for collagen intended for human consumption and collagen not intended for human consumption, and provided that hygiene conditions are also the same, it should be possible to produce and/or store both types of collagen in the same establishment. (2)  The authorisation and registration, inspection and hygiene conditions for the establishments preparing collagen should be set. Certain health conditions contained in Council Directive 77[99/EEC of 21 December 1976 on health problems affecting the () OJ L 62, 15.3.1993, p. 49. () OJ L 315,19.11.2002, p. 14. production and marketing of meat products and certain other products of animal origin (°), as last amended by Directive 97/76/EC (*), and in Council Directive 9343/ EEC of 14 June 1993 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (°), are relevant for the preparation of collagen. (3)  Article 2.3.13.7 of the International Animal Health Code (2001) issued by the International Office of Epizootics on BSE recommends that if gelatine and collagen are prepared exclusively from hides and skins, veterinary administrations should authorise their import and transit through their territories without restriction, regardless of the status of the exporting countries. (4)  Under Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 May 2001 laying down rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (¢), as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1494/2002 (), hides and skins within the meaning of Directive 92/118/EEC, derived from healthy ruminants and collagen derived from such hides and skins are not subject to restrictions on placing on the market. (5)  The Scientific Steering Committee adopted an opinion on the safety of collagen on 10 and 11 May 2001, addressing the question of the safety in relation to trans- missible spongiform encephalopathies (hereinafter TSE) of collagen produced from ruminant hides. 3) L 26, 31.1.1977, p. 85. () () 0) () 0 0J OJ L 10, 16.1.1998, p. 25. OJL 175,19.7.1993, p. 1. OJ L 147, 31.5.2001, p. 1. OJ L 225, 22.8.2002, p. 3. =