L 8/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 14.1.2003 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COUNCIL COUNCIL DECISION of 16 December 2002 on the equivalence of field inspections carried out in third countries on seed-producing crops and on the equivalence of seed produced in third countries (Text with EEA relevance) (2003/17[EC) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community. Having regard to Council Directive 66/401/EEC of 14 June 1966 on the marketing of fodder plant seed (), and in parti- cular Article 16(1) thereof, Having regard to Council Directive 66/402/EEC of 14 June 1966 on the marketing of cereal seed (), and in particular Article 16(1) thereof, Having regard to Council Directive 2002/54/EC of 13 June 2002 on the marketing of beet seed (}), and in particular Article 23(1) thereof, Having regard to Council Directive 2002/57/EC of 13 June 2002 on the marketing of seed of oil and fibre plants (), and in particular Article 20(1) thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Whereas: (1) The rules on official seed control in Argentina, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Morocco, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Turkey, the United States of America, Uruguay, Yugoslavia and South Africa provide for an official field inspection to be carried out during the period of seed production. (2)  Those rules provide in principle that seed may be offi- cially certified and seed packages officially closed in accordance with the OECD Schemes for the Varietal (") OJ 125, 11.7.1966, p. 2298/66. Directive as last amended by Direc- tive 2001/64/EC (O] 234, 1.9.2001, p. 60). () OJ 125, 11.7.1966, p. 1309/66. Directive as last amended by Direc- tive 2001/64/EC. () OJ L 193, 20.7.2002, p. 12. () OJ L 193, 20.7.2002, p. 74. Directive as amended by Directive 2002/68/EC (O] L 195, 24.7.2002, p. 32. Certification of Seed moving in International Trade. The rules also provide for seed sampling and testing in accor- dance with the methods of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), or where appropriate, in accordance with the rules of the Association of Official Seed Analysts (AOSA). (3)  An examination of those rules and the manner in which they are applied in the aforementioned third countries has shown that the field inspection of seed-producing crops satisfies the conditions laid down in Directives 66/ 401/EEC, 66/402/EEC, 2002/54/EC and 2002/57[EC. The national provisions governing seed harvested and controlled in those countries afford the same assurances as regards the seed's characteristics and the arrangements for its examination, for ensuring seed identification, for marking and for control as the provisions applicable to seed harvested and controlled within the Community, provided that further conditions for seed-producing crops and seed produced, in particular in respect of packages marking, are satisfied. (4)  Council Decision 95/514/EC of 29 November 1995 on the equivalence of field inspections carried out in third countries on seed-producing crops and on the equiva- lence of seed produced in third countries (°) provides that for a limited period field inspections carried out in certain third countries on seed-producing crops of certain species are considered as equivalent to field inspections carried out in accordance with Community legislation and that seed of certain species produced in those countries is considered as equivalent to seed produced in accordance with Community legislation. () OJ L 296, 9.12.1995, p. 34. Decision as last amended by Commis- sion Decision 2002/276/EC (O] L 96, 13.4.2002, p. 28).