28.12.2006 Official Journal of the European Union L 379/1 | (Acts whose publication is obligatory) COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 1997/2006 of 19 December 2006 amending Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91 on organic production of agricultural products and indications referring thereto on agricultural products and foodstuffs (Text with EEA relevance) THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 37 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Having regard to the Opinion of the European Parliament (%), Whereas: It is necessary to advance the implementation of the European Action Plan for Organic Food and Farming on the basis of concrete measures with a view to assuring simplification and overall coherence. Organic products imported into the Community should be allowed to be placed on the Community market labelled with a reference to organic farming if they have been produced in accordance with production rules and subject to inspection arrangements that are in compliance with, or equivalent to, Community legis- lation. Third countries whose production standards and inspection arrangements are equivalent to those applied in the Community should be recognised and a list thereof should be published. Inspection bodies or inspection authorities competent to carry out inspection in countries which are not on the list of recognised third countries should also be recognised and listed. Third country operators who produce in direct compliance with Community rules should be allowed to submit their activities to inspection bodies and inspection autho- rities recognised by the Commission for this purpose. (') Opinion delivered on 28 September 2006 (not yet published in the Official Journal). 4 Council Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91 of 24 June 1991 on organic production of agricultural products and indi- cations referring thereto on agricultural products and foodstuffs (3 provides for the possibility for Member States to grant until 31 December 2006 authorisations to importers for the placing on the Community market of individual products under certain conditions. It should be amended to replace that import scheme with a scheme applicable after that date. In order not to disrupt international trade, it is necessary to extend the possibility for Member States to continue to grant authorisations to importers on a case by case basis for the placing on the Community market of products until the measures necessary for the functioning of the new import scheme have been put in place, in particular as regards the recognition of inspection bodies and inspection authorities competent to carry out inspection in those countries which are not on the list of recognised third countries. Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91 should be amended accordingly, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 Regulation (EEC) No 2092/91 is hereby amended as follows: 1. In Article 10(1), point (b) shall be replaced by the following: ® O L 198, 22.7.1991, p. 1. Commission Regulation (EC) No 780/2006 (O] L 137, 25.5.2006, p.- 9). ‘(b) have been subject to the inspection system referred to in Article 9, or have been imported in conformity with Article 11; however, in the case of products imported in conformity with Article 11(6), the implementation of the inspection system shall comply with requirements equivalent to those provided for in Article 9, and in particular paragraph 4 thereof. Regulation as last amended by