Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION amending Council Decision 95/408/EC of 22 June 1995 on the conditions for drawing up, for an interim period, provisional lists of third country establishments from which Member States are authorized to import certain products af animal origin, fishery products or live bivalve molluscs
COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES Brussels, 28. 10. 1996 COM(96) 529 final Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION amending Council Decision 95/408/EC of 22 June 1995 on the conditions for drawing up, for an interim period, provisional lists of third country establishments from which Member States are authorized to import certain products of animal origin, fishery products or live bivalve molluscs (presented by the Commission) EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM Imports into the Community of animal products and products of animal origin are subject to Community rules requiring the establishment of lists of approved establishments from which imports of certain products are authorized. Community inspection visits are provided for to verify that the guarantees offered by the third countries comply with Community rules. Pending those inspections and in order to avoid any disruption to traditional trade patterns, the Council adopted Decision 95/408/EC authorizing the Commission to apply a simplified system for approving establishments in third countries for which the competent authorities have given guarantees of compliance with Community rules on the protection of public and animal health. The provisional lists of approved establishments will be valid until the definitive lists are drawn up after on-site verification by Community inspectors. Decision 95/408/EC is only valid until 31 December 1996 unless the Council decides to extend its validity on a proposal from the Commission. For several reasons connected with the organization of inspection visits and the new procedural constraints arising from the Marrakesh Agreements, the interim period during which the simplified approval system is to apply should be extended. The purpose of this proposal is to extend the validity of Decision 95/408/EC until 31 December 1998. «2. Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION of amending Council Decision 95/408/EC of 22 June 1995 on the conditions for drawing up, for an interim period, provisional lists of third country establishments from which Member States are authorized to import certain products of animal origin, fishery products or live bivalve molluscs THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to Council Decision 95/408/EC of 22 June 1995 on the conditions for drawing up, for an interim period, provisional lists of third country establishments from which Member States are authorized to import certain products of animal origin, fishery products or live bivalve molluscs(1), and in particular Article 9 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, Whereas the interim period opened by Decision 95/408/EC ends on 31 December 1996; whereas, for administrative reasons, the drawing up of the lists of third country establishments from which Member States are authorized to import certain products in accordance with the Directives on health rules applicable to those products has been delayed; Whereas, in order to prevent any disruptions in traditional trade patterns, the interim period during which a simplified system may be applied for the approval of third country establishments exporting certain products of animal origin, fishery products or live bivalve molluscs should be extended, HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: (1) OJ No L 243, 11. 10. 1995, p. 17. 3 Article 1 In Article 9 of Council Decision 95/408/EC, the date of 31 December 1996 is hereby replaced by 31 December 1998. Article 2 This Decision is addressed to the Member States. Done at Brussels, For the Council * ISSN 0254-1475 COM(96) 529 final DOCUMENTS EN 03 11 02 Catalogue number : CB-CO-96-534-EN-C ISBN 92-78-10587-2 Office for Official Publications of the European Communities L-2985 Luxembourg