Commission Decision

of 5 December 2006

amending Council Directives 64/432/EEC, 90/539/EEC, 92/35/EEC, 92/119/EEC, 93/53/EEC, 95/70/EC, 2000/75/EC, 2001/89/EC, 2002/60/EC and Decision 2001/618/EC as regards lists of national reference laboratories and State institutes

(notified under document number C(2006) 5856)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2006/911/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 64/432/EEC of 26 June 1964 on animal health problems affecting intra-Community trade in bovine animals and swine1, and in particular Article 8, Article 9 (2), Article 10 (2) and the second subparagraph of Article 16 (1) thereof,
Having regard to Council Directive 90/539/EEC of 15 October 1990 on animal health conditions governing intra-Community trade in, and imports from third countries of, poultry and hatching eggs2, and in particular Article 34 thereof,
Having regard to Council Directive 92/35/EEC of 29 April 1992 laying down control rules and measures to combat African horse sickness3, in particular Article 18 thereof,
Having regard to Council Directive 92/119/EEC of 17 December 1992 introducing general Community measures for the control of certain animal diseases and specific measures relating to swine vesicular disease4, and in particular Article 24 (2) thereof,
Having regard to Council Directive 93/53/EEC of 24 June 1993 introducing minimum Community measures for the control of certain fish diseases5, and in particular the second paragraph of Article 18 thereof,
Having regard to Council Directive 95/70/EC of 22 December 1995 introducing minimum Community measures for the control of certain diseases affecting bivalve molluscs6, and in particular the second paragraph of Article 9 thereof,
Having regard to Council Directive 2000/75/EC of 20 November 2000 laying down specific provisions for the control and eradication of bluetongue7, and in particular the second paragraph of Article 19 thereof,
Having regard to Council Directive 2001/89/EC of 23 October 2001 on Community measures for the control of classical swine fever8, and in particular Article 25 (2) thereof,
Having regard to Council Directive 2002/60/EC of 27 June 2002 laying down specific provisions for the control of African swine fever and amending Directive 92/119/EC as regards Teschen disease and African swine fever9, and in particular Article 26 (1) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

Directive 64/432/EEC sets out a list of State institutes and national reference laboratories responsible for official testing of tuberculins and reagents, a list of national reference laboratories for bovine brucellosis, as well as a list of official institutes responsible for calibrating the standard working antigen of the laboratory against the official EEC standard serum (EI serum) supplied by the State Veterinary Serum Laboratory in Copenhagen, as regards enzootic bovine leucosis.

(2)

Directive 90/539/EEC provides for the designation by Member States of national reference laboratories responsible for coordinating diagnostic methods and their use by approved laboratories. The national reference laboratories are listed in that Directive.

(3)

Directive 92/35/EEC provides for the designation by Member States of national reference laboratories responsible for coordinating diagnostic methods and their use by approved laboratories. The national reference laboratories are listed in that Directive.

(4)

Directive 92/119/EEC provides for the designation by Member States of national laboratories, for each of the diseases referred to in that Directive. The list of national laboratories for swine vesicular disease is set out in that Directive.

(5)

Directive 93/53/EEC provides for the designation by Member States of national reference laboratories, for each of the diseases referred to in that Directive. The list of national reference laboratories for fish diseases is set out in that Directive.

(6)

Directive 95/70/EC provides for the designation by Member States of national reference laboratories to carry out sampling and testing. The list of national reference laboratories for diseases of bivalve molluscs is set out in that Directive.

(7)

Directive 2000/75/EC provides for the designation by Member States of national laboratories responsible for carrying out laboratory tests. Those national laboratories are listed in that Directive.

(8)

Directive 2001/89/EC provides that Member States are to ensure that a national laboratory is responsible for coordinating standards and methods of diagnosis. Those national laboratories are listed in that Directive.

(9)

Directive 2002/60/EC provides that Member States are to ensure that a national laboratory is responsible for coordinating standards and methods of diagnosis. Those national laboratories are listed in that Directive.

(10)
Commission Decision 2001/618/EC of 23 July 2001 on additional guarantees in intra-Community trade of pigs relating to Aujeszky's disease, criteria to provide information on this disease and repealing Decisions 93/24/EEC and 93/244/EEC10 establishes the list of institutes responsible for checking the quality of the ELISA method in each Member State, and in particular for producing and standardising national reference sera according to the Community reference sera. That list is set out in that Decision.
(11)

The competent authorities of almost all Member States submitted requests for updating details concerning national reference laboratories listed in a number of Directives and Decision. In addition, it is appropriate that the national references laboratories and State institutes referred to in those acts are listed in the alphabetic order of the ISO code for each Member State.

(12)

In the interests of clarity and consistency of Community legislation, it is appropriate to replace such lists in those Directives and that Decision.

(13)

Directives 64/432/EEC, 90/539/EEC, 92/35/EEC, 92/119/EEC, 93/53/EEC, 95/70/EC, 2000/75/EC, 2001/89/EC, 2002/60/EC and Decision 2001/618/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.

(14)

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: