PURPOSE: to simplify procedures of listing and publishing information in the veterinary and zootechnical fields.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Directive 2008/73/EC simplifying procedures of listing and publishing information in the veterinary and zootechnical fields and amending Directives 64/432/EEC, 77/504/EEC, 88/407/EEC, 88/661/EEC, 89/361/EEC, 89/556/EEC, 90/426/EEC, 90/427/EEC, 90/428/EEC, 90/429/EEC, 90/539/EEC, 91/68/EEC, 91/496/EEC, 92/35/EEC, 92/65/EEC, 92/66/EEC, 92/119/EEC, 94/28/EC, 2000/75/EC, Decision 2000/258/EC and Directives 2001/89/EC, 2002/60/EC and 2005/94/EC.

CONTENT: the Council adopted a Directive reviewing current procedures for updating and publishing information in the veterinary and zootechnical fields. The adoption followed political agreement at the Council meeting on 23 and 24 June 2008.

The aim of this Directive is to:

1) harmonise and simplify the current procedures for updating and publishing lists of certain approved animal health establishments and breeding organisations in Member States and information to be provided by Member States regarding equine competition .

The procedures are harmonised and provide for more systematic, coherent and uniform rules with regard to the five key elements of such procedures, namely registration, listing, updating, transmission and publication of the lists.

In addition, since it is for the Member States to control the conditions that must be fulfilled by the different animal health establishments in order to be listed, the responsibility for the drawing up of the lists will with the Member States and not the Commission. Member States will draw up and keep up-to-date lists of the establishments concerned and make them available to the other Member States and to the public. In order to harmonise the model forms of those lists, common criteria will be established under a comitology procedure ;

(2) harmonise and simplify the current procedures for updating and publishing lists of certain approved animal health establishments and authorities approved for the purpose of keeping a herd book, a flock book or a studbook in third countries . The different procedures which previously existed have been replaced by a procedure under which imports into the Community will only be permitted from third countries in which competent authorities draw up and keep up to date the lists and communicate them to the Commission. The Commission will inform the Member States about those lists and make them available to the public for information purposes. In the case of concerns with regard to the lists communicated by the third countries, safeguard measures are to be adopted in accordance with Council Directive 97/78/EC laying down the principles governing the organisation of veterinary checks on products entering the Community from third countries

(3) simplify the current procedures for updating and publishing lists of certain national reference laboratories and other approved laboratories .

Previous practice was to make only periodic updates of the lists of those laboratories and this practice did not guarantee a rapid update of the lists of approved laboratories. Since Member States designate the national reference laboratories and provide all the necessary details and updates, the responsibility for the drawing up of the lists will now with the Member States and not the Commission. The same will apply to other approved laboratories in the Member States.

Member States shall therefore draw-up and keep up-to-date the lists of national reference laboratories and other approved laboratories concerned and make them available to the other Member States and the public. In order to harmonise the model of those lists, common criteria will be introduced under the comitology procedure. However, where the lists concern approved laboratories situated in third countries, the Commission will continue to be responsible for drawing up and publishing the lists of such laboratories.

The Directive amends 22 directives and 1 decision, ensuring a simplified approach, which will reduce administrative burdens to the benefit of both competent authorities and stakeholders.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 03/09/2008.

The European Parliament adopted, by 554 votes to 9 with 1 abstention, a resolution approving, in the framework of the consultation procedure, the proposal for a Council Directive simplifying procedures of listing and publishing information in the veterinary and zootechnical fields and amending Directives 64/432/EEC, 77/504/EEC, 88/407/EEC, 88/661/EEC, 89/361/EEC, 89/556/EEC, 90/427/EEC, 90/428/EEC, 90/429/EEC, 90/539/EEC, 91/68/EEC, 92/35/EEC, 92/65/EEC, 92/66/EEC, 92/119/EEC, 94/28/EC, 2000/75/EC, Decision 2000/258/EC and Directives 2001/89/EC, 2002/60/EC, and 2005/94/EC.

The report had been tabled for consideration in plenary by Neil PARISH (EPP-ED, UK) on behalf of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development.

The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development adopted the report by Neil PARISH (EPP-ED, UK) approving unamended, under the consultation procedure, the proposal for a Council Directive simplifying procedures of listing and publishing information in the veterinary and zootechnical fields and amending Directives 64/432/EEC, 77/504/EEC, 88/407/EEC, 88/661/EEC, 89/361/EEC, 89/556/EEC, 90/427/EEC, 90/428/EEC, 90/429/EEC, 90/539/EEC, 91/68/EEC, 92/35/EEC, 92/65/EEC, 92/66/EEC, 92/119/EEC, 94/28/EC, 2000/75/EC, Decision 2000/258/EC and Directives 2001/89/EC, 2002/60/EC, and 2005/94/EC.

PURPOSE: to simplify procedures of listing and publishing information in the veterinary and zootechnical fields.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Directive.

CONTENT: the purpose of this proposal is:

(1) to harmonise and simplify the current procedures for updating and publishing lists of certain approved animal health establishments and breeding organisations in Member States and information to be provided by Member States regarding equine competition.

The procedures should be harmonised and provide for more systematic, coherent and uniform rules with regard to the five key elements of such procedures, namely registration, listing, updating, transmission and publication of the lists.

In addition, since it is for the Member States to control the conditions that must be fulfilled by the different animal health establishments in order to be listed, the responsibility for the drawing up of the lists should lay with the Member States and not the Commission. Member States should therefore draw up and keep up-to-date lists of the establishments concerned and make them available to the other Member States and to the public. In order to harmonise the model forms of those lists and the way to achieve simple access to up-to-date lists for the Community, common criteria need to be established under a comitology procedure.

(2) to harmonise and simplify the current procedures for updating and publishing lists of certain approved animal health establishments and authorities approved for the purpose of keeping a herd book, a flock book or a studbook in third countries.

The current legal framework for the authorisation of those establishments should be harmonised and simplified, so that the responsibility for drawing up and updating the lists lies with the third countries and not the Commission. The different existing procedures should therefore be replaced by a procedure under which the competent authorities of the third countries draw up, keep up-to-date the lists and communicate them to the Commission. The Commission should inform the Member States about these lists and makes them available to the public for information purposes. In the case of concerns with regard to the lists communicated by the third countries, adoption of safeguard measures is to be taken in accordance with Council Directive 97/78/EC.

(3) to simplify the current procedures for updating and publishing lists of certain national reference laboratories and other approved laboratories.

The current practice has been to make only periodic updates of the lists of those laboratories and this practice does not guarantee a rapid update of the lists of approved laboratories. Since the Member States designate the national reference laboratories and provide all the necessary details and updates, the responsibility for the drawing up of the lists should lay with the Member States and not the Commission. The same should apply to other approved laboratories in the Member States.

Member States shall therefore draw-up and keep up-to-date the lists of national reference laboratories and other approved laboratories concerned and make them available to the other Member States and the public. In order to harmonise the model of those lists and the way in which to achieve a simple access to up-to-date lists for the Community, common criteria need to be introduced under the comitology procedure. However, where the lists concern approved laboratories situated in third countries, the Commission should continue to be responsible for drawing up and publishing the lists of such laboratories.

Consequently, it is proposed to amend Directives 64/432/EEC, 77/504/EEC, 88/407/EEC, 88/661/EEC, 89/361/EEC, 89/556/EEC, 90/427/EEC, 90/428/EEC, 90/429/EEC, 90/539/EEC, 91/68/EEC, 92/35/EEC, 92/65/EEC, 92/66/EEC, 92/119/EEC, 94/28/EC, 2000/75/EC, 2001/89/EC, 2002/60/EC and 2005/94/EC as well as Decision 2000/258/EC.

PURPOSE: to simplify procedures of listing and publishing information in the veterinary and zootechnical fields.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Directive.

CONTENT: the purpose of this proposal is:

(1) to harmonise and simplify the current procedures for updating and publishing lists of certain approved animal health establishments and breeding organisations in Member States and information to be provided by Member States regarding equine competition.

The procedures should be harmonised and provide for more systematic, coherent and uniform rules with regard to the five key elements of such procedures, namely registration, listing, updating, transmission and publication of the lists.

In addition, since it is for the Member States to control the conditions that must be fulfilled by the different animal health establishments in order to be listed, the responsibility for the drawing up of the lists should lay with the Member States and not the Commission. Member States should therefore draw up and keep up-to-date lists of the establishments concerned and make them available to the other Member States and to the public. In order to harmonise the model forms of those lists and the way to achieve simple access to up-to-date lists for the Community, common criteria need to be established under a comitology procedure.

(2) to harmonise and simplify the current procedures for updating and publishing lists of certain approved animal health establishments and authorities approved for the purpose of keeping a herd book, a flock book or a studbook in third countries.

The current legal framework for the authorisation of those establishments should be harmonised and simplified, so that the responsibility for drawing up and updating the lists lies with the third countries and not the Commission. The different existing procedures should therefore be replaced by a procedure under which the competent authorities of the third countries draw up, keep up-to-date the lists and communicate them to the Commission. The Commission should inform the Member States about these lists and makes them available to the public for information purposes. In the case of concerns with regard to the lists communicated by the third countries, adoption of safeguard measures is to be taken in accordance with Council Directive 97/78/EC.

(3) to simplify the current procedures for updating and publishing lists of certain national reference laboratories and other approved laboratories.

The current practice has been to make only periodic updates of the lists of those laboratories and this practice does not guarantee a rapid update of the lists of approved laboratories. Since the Member States designate the national reference laboratories and provide all the necessary details and updates, the responsibility for the drawing up of the lists should lay with the Member States and not the Commission. The same should apply to other approved laboratories in the Member States.

Member States shall therefore draw-up and keep up-to-date the lists of national reference laboratories and other approved laboratories concerned and make them available to the other Member States and the public. In order to harmonise the model of those lists and the way in which to achieve a simple access to up-to-date lists for the Community, common criteria need to be introduced under the comitology procedure. However, where the lists concern approved laboratories situated in third countries, the Commission should continue to be responsible for drawing up and publishing the lists of such laboratories.

Consequently, it is proposed to amend Directives 64/432/EEC, 77/504/EEC, 88/407/EEC, 88/661/EEC, 89/361/EEC, 89/556/EEC, 90/427/EEC, 90/428/EEC, 90/429/EEC, 90/539/EEC, 91/68/EEC, 92/35/EEC, 92/65/EEC, 92/66/EEC, 92/119/EEC, 94/28/EC, 2000/75/EC, 2001/89/EC, 2002/60/EC and 2005/94/EC as well as Decision 2000/258/EC.