2004/597/EG: Beschluss des Rates vom 19. Juli 2004 zur Genehmigung des Beitritts der Europäischen Gemeinschaft zum Internationalen Pflanzenschutzübereinkommen, revidiert und angenommen auf der 29. Tagung der FAO-Konferenz von November 1997 durch Entschließung Nr. 12/97

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14.8.2004 DE Amtsblatt der Europäischen Union L 267/39 BESCHLUSS DES RATES vom 19. Juli 2004 zur Genehmigung des Beitritts der Europäischen Gemeinschaft zum Internationalen Pflanzenschutzübereinkommen, revidiert und angenommen auf der 29. Tagung der FAO-Konferenz von November 1997 durch Entschließung Nr. 12/97 (2004/597/EG) DER RAT DER EUROPÄISCHEN UNION — gestützt auf den Vertrag zur Gründung der Europäischen Gemeinschaft, insbesondere auf Artikel 37 in Verbindung mit Artikel 300 Absatz 2 Unterabsatz 1 Satz 1 und Artikel 300 Absatz 3 Unterabsatz 1, auf Vorschlag der Kommission, nach Stellungnahme des Europäischen Parlaments (1), in Erwägung nachstehender Gründe: (1) Das Internationale Pflanzenschutzübereinkommen (nachstehend „IPPC-Übereinkommen“ genannt) wurde von der FAO-Konferenz im Jahr 1951 geschlossen und trat im folgenden Jahr in Kraft. Es wurde 1979 von der FAO-Konferenz revidiert, und die Neufassung trat 1991 in Kraft. (2) Das IPPC-Übereinkommen wurde 1997 ein zweites Mal revidiert, um es mit dem im Rahmen der Schlussakte der Uruguay-Runde geschlossenen Übereinkommen über die Anwendung gesundheitspolizeilicher und pflanzenschutzrechtlicher Maßnahmen in Einklang zu bringen, um Übereinstimmung mit dem neuen System für die Ausarbeitung internationaler Standards im Rahmen des internationalen Pflanzenschutzes zu gewährleisten und um den Mitgliedsorganisationen der FAO die Möglichkeit zu geben, dem Übereinkommen als Vertragspartei beizutreten. Die Neufassung wurde im November 1997 von der FAO-Konferenz mit der Entschließung Nr. 12/97 angenommen. (3) Die Änderungen der überarbeiteten Fassung treten am dreißigsten Tag nach ihrer Annahme durch zwei Drittel der Vertragsparteien in Kraft. Ab diesem Zeitpunkt ist die Europäische Gemeinschaft berechtigt, dem IPPC-Übereinkommen als Vertragspartei beizutreten. Gegenwärtig haben 43 Länder, darunter vier Mitgliedstaaten der Gemeinschaft, die Neufassung gebilligt. (4) Eines der Hauptziele des IPPC-Übereinkommens besteht darin, ein gemeinsames und wirkungsvolles Vorgehen gegen die Verbreitung und Einschleppung von Schadorganismen der Pflanzen und Pflanzenerzeugnisse sicherzustellen und die Einführung von geeigneten Bekämpfungsmaßnahmen zu fördern. (5) Die Zuständigkeit der Gemeinschaft, internationale Vereinbarungen oder Verträge zu schließen oder diesen beizutreten, leitet sich nicht nur aus der ausdrücklichen Kompetenzzuweisung des Vertrags ab, sondern kann sich auch aus anderen Vertragsvorschriften und auf deren Grundlage von den Gemeinschaftsorganen erlassenen Rechtsakten ergeben. (6) Der Inhalt des IPPC-Übereinkommens fällt auch in den Geltungsbereich bestehender Gemeinschaftsverordnungen auf diesem Gebiet. (7) Entsprechend betrifft der Gegenstand des IPPC-Übereinkommens sowohl die Gemeinschaft als auch ihre Mitgliedstaaten. (8) Die Gemeinschaft sollte dem IPPC-Übereinkommen beitreten, soweit es Fragen betrifft, die in ihre Zuständigkeit fallen. (9) Der Präsident des Rates sollte ermächtigt werden, die Beitrittsurkunde der Gemeinschaft zu hinterlegen — BESCHLIESST: Artikel 1 (1) Die Europäische Gemeinschaft beantragt den Beitritt zum Internationalen Pflanzenschutzübereinkommen (nachstehend „IPPC-Übereinkommen“ genannt), soweit es Fragen betrifft, die in ihre Zuständigkeit fallen. (2) Die Neufassung des IPPC-Übereinkommens, die im November 1997 auf der 29. Tagung der FAO-Konferenz mit der Entschließung Nr. 12/97 angenommen wurde, ist in Anhang I wiedergegeben. Artikel 2 (1) Der Präsident des Rates wird hiermit ermächtigt, die Beitrittsurkunde beim Generaldirektor der Ernährungs- und Landwirtschaftsorganisation der Vereinten Nationen (nachstehend „FAO“ genannt) zu hinterlegen. (2) Die in Anhang II wiedergegebene Erklärung ist Teil der Beitrittsurkunde. Geschehen zu Brüssel am 19. Juli 2004. Im Namen des Rates Der Präsident C. VEERMAN (1) Stellungnahme vom 8. November 2003 (noch nicht im Amtsblatt veröffentlicht). ANHANG I INTERNATIONAL PLANT PROTECTION CONVENTION New revised text approved by Resolution 12/97 of the 29th Session of the FAO Conference in November 1997 The Contracting Parties, — recognising the necessity for international cooperation in controlling pests of plants and plant products and in preventing their international spread, and especially their introduction into endangered areas, — recognising that phytosanitary measures should be technically justified, transparent and should not be applied in such a way as to constitute either a means of arbitrary or unjustified discrimination or a disguised restriction, particularly on international trade, — desiring to ensure close coordination of measures directed to these ends, — desiring to provide a framework for the development and application of harmonised phytosanitary measures and the elaboration of international standards to that effect, — taking into account internationally approved principles governing the protection of plant, human and animal health, and the environment, and — noting the agreements concluded as a result of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations, including the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS: Article I Purpose and responsibility 1. With the purpose of securing common and effective action to prevent the spread and introduction of pests of plants and plant products, and to promote appropriate measures for their control, the Contracting Parties undertake to adopt the legislative, technical and administrative measures specified in this Convention and in supplementary agreements pursuant to Article XVI. 2. Each Contracting Party shall assume responsibility, without prejudice to obligations assumed under other international agreements, for the fulfilment within its territories of all requirements under this Convention. 3. The division of responsibilities for the fulfilment of the requirements of this Convention between Member Organisations of FAO and their Member States that are Contracting Parties shall be in accordance with their respective competencies. 4. Where appropriate, the provisions of this Convention may be deemed by Contracting Parties to extend, in addition to plants and plant products, to storage places, packaging, conveyances, containers, soil and any other organism, object or material capable of harbouring or spreading plant pests, particularly where international transportation is involved. Article II Use of terms 1. For the purpose of this Convention, the following terms shall have the meanings hereunder assigned to them: ‘Area of low pest prevalence’— an area, whether all of a country, part of a country, or all or parts of several countries, as identified by the competent authorities, in which a specific pest occurs at low levels and which is subject to effective surveillance, control or eradication measures; ‘Commission’— the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures established under Article XI; ‘Endangered area’— an area where ecological factors favour the establishment of a pest whose presence in the area will result in economically important loss; ‘Establishment’— perpetuation, for the foreseeable future, of a pest within an area after entry; ‘Harmonised phytosanitary measures’— phytosanitary measures established by Contracting Parties based on international standards; ‘International standards’— international standards established in accordance with Article X, paragraphs 1 and 2; ‘Introduction’— the entry of a pest resulting in its establishment; ‘Pest’— any species, strain or biotype of plant, animal or pathogenic agent injurious to plants or plant products; ‘Pest risk analysis’— the process of evaluating biological or other scientific and economic evidence to determine whether a pest should be regulated and the strength of any phytosanitary measures to be taken against it; ‘Phytosanitary measure’— any legislation, regulation or official procedure having the purpose to prevent the introduction and/or spread of pests; ‘Plant products’— unmanufactured material of plant origin (including grain) and those manufactured products that, by their nature or that of their processing, may create a risk for the introduction and spread of pests; ‘Plants’— living plants and parts thereof, including seeds and germplasm; ‘Quarantine pest’— a pest of potential economic importance to the area endangered thereby and not yet present there, or present but not widely distributed and being officially controlled; ‘Regional standards’— standards established by a regional plant protection organisation for the guidance of the members of that organisation; ‘Regulated article’— any plant, plant product, storage place, packaging, conveyance, container, soil and any other organism, object or material capable of harbouring or spreading pests, deemed to require phytosanitary measures, particularly where international transportation is involved; ‘Regulated non-quarantine pest’— a non-quarantine pest whose presence in plants for planting affects the intended use of those plants with an economically unacceptable impact and which is therefore regulated within the territory of the importing Contracting Party; ‘Regulated pest’— a quarantine pest or a regulated non-quarantine pest; ‘Secretary’— Secretary of the Commission appointed pursuant to Article XII; ‘Technically justified’— justified on the basis of conclusions reached by using an appropriate pest risk analysis or, where applicable, another comparable examination and evaluation of available scientific information. 2. The definitions set forth in this Article, being limited to the application of this Convention, shall not be deemed to affect definitions established under domestic laws or regulations of Contracting Parties. Article III Relationship with other international agreements Nothing in this Convention shall affect the rights and obligations of the Contracting Parties under relevant international agreements. Article IV General provisions relating to the organisational arrangements for national plant protection 1. Each Contracting Party shall make provision, to the best of its ability, for an official national plant protection organisation with the main responsibilities set out in this Article. 2. The responsibilities of an official national plant protection organisation shall include the following: (a) the issuance of certificates relating to the phytosanitary regulations of the importing Contracting Party for consignments of plants, plant products and other regulated articles; (b) the surveillance of growing plants, including both areas under cultivation (inter alia fields, plantations, nurseries, gardens, greenhouses and laboratories) and wild flora, and of plants and plant products in storage or in transportation, particularly with the object of reporting the occurrence, outbreak and spread of pests, and of controlling those pests, including the reporting referred to under Article VIII paragraph 1(a); (c) the inspection of consignments of plants and plant products moving in international traffic and, where appropriate, the inspection of other regulated articles, particularly with the object of preventing the introduction and/or spread of pests; (d) the disinfestation or disinfection of consignments of plants, plant products and other regulated articles moving in international traffic, to meet phytosanitary requirements; (e) the protection of endangered areas and the designation, maintenance and surveillance of pest-free areas and areas of low pest prevalence; (f) the conduct of pest risk analyses; (g) to ensure through appropriate procedures that the phytosanitary security of consignments after certification regarding composition, substitution and reinfestation is maintained prior to export; and (h) training and development of staff. 3. Each Contracting Party shall make provision, to the best of its ability, for the following: (a) the distribution of information within the territory of the Contracting Party regarding regulated pests and the means of their prevention and control; (b) research and investigation in the field of plant protection; (c) the issuance of phytosanitary regulations; and (d) the performance of such other functions as may be required for the implementation of this Convention. 4. Each Contracting Party shall submit a description of its official national plant protection organisation and of changes in such organisation to the Secretary. A Contracting Party shall provide a description of its organisational arrangements for plant protection to another Contracting Party, upon request. Article V Phytosanitary certification 1. Each Contracting Party shall make arrangements for phytosanitary certification, with the objective of ensuring that exported plants, plant products and other regulated articles and consignments thereof are in conformity with the certifying statement to be made pursuant to paragraph 2(b) of this Article. 2. Each Contracting Party shall make arrangements for the issuance of phytosanitary certificates in conformity with the following provisions: (a) Inspection and other related activities leading to issuance of phytosanitary certificates shall be carried out only by or under the authority of the official national plant protection organisation. The issuance of phytosanitary certificates shall be carried out by public officers who are technically qualified and duly authorised by the official national plant protection organisation to act on its behalf and under its control with such knowledge and information available to those officers that the authorities of importing Contracting Parties may accept the phytosanitary certificates with confidence as dependable documents. (b) Phytosanitary certificates, or their electronic equivalent where accepted by the importing Contracting Party concerned, shall be as worded in the models set out in the Annex to this Convention. These certificates should be completed and issued taking into account relevant international standards. (c) Uncertified alterations or erasures shall invalidate the certificates. 3. Each Contracting Party undertakes not to require consignments of plants or plant products or other regulated articles imported into its territories to be accompanied by phytosanitary certificates inconsistent with the models set out in the Annex to this Convention. Any requirements for additional declarations shall be limited to those technically justified. Article VI Regulated pests 1. Contracting Parties may require phytosanitary measures for quarantine pests and regulated non-quarantine pests, provided that such measures are: (a) no more stringent than measures applied to the same pests, if present within the territory of the importing Contracting Party; and (b) limited to what is necessary to protect plant health and/or safeguard the intended use and can be technically justified by the Contracting Party concerned. 2. Contracting Parties shall not require phytosanitary measures for non-regulated pests. Article VII Requirements in relation to imports 1. With the aim of preventing the introduction and/or spread of regulated pests into their territories, Contracting Parties shall have sovereign authority to regulate, in accordance with applicable international agreements, the entry of plants and plant products and other regulated articles and, to this end, may: (a) prescribe and adopt phytosanitary measures concerning the importation of plants, plant products and other regulated articles, including, for example, inspection, prohibition on importation, and treatment; (b) refuse entry or detain, or require treatment, destruction or removal from the territory of the Contracting Party, of plants, plant products and other regulated articles or consignments thereof that do not comply with the phytosanitary measures prescribed or adopted under subparagraph (a); (c) prohibit or restrict the movement of regulated pests into their territories; (d) prohibit or restrict the movement of biological control agents and other organisms of phytosanitary concern claimed to be beneficial into their territories. 2. In order to minimise interference with international trade, each Contracting Party, in exercising its authority under paragraph 1 of this Article, undertakes to act in conformity with the following: (a) Contracting Parties shall not, under their phytosanitary legislation, take any of the measures specified in paragraph 1 of this Article unless such measures are made necessary by phytosanitary considerations and are technically justified. (b) Contracting Parties shall, immediately upon their adoption, publish and transmit phytosanitary requirements, restrictions and prohibitions to any Contracting Party or parties that they believe may be directly affected by such measures. (c) Contracting Parties shall, on request, make available to any Contracting Party the rationale for phytosanitary requirements, restrictions and prohibitions. (d) If a Contracting Party requires consignments of particular plants or plant products to be imported only through specified points of entry, such points shall be so selected as not to unnecessarily impede international trade. The Contracting Party shall publish a list of such points of entry and communicate it to the Secretary, any regional plant protection organisation of which the Contracting Party is a member, all Contracting Parties which the Contracting Party believes to be directly affected, and other Contracting Parties upon request. Such restrictions on points of entry shall not be made unless the plants, plant products or other regulated articles concerned are required to be accompanied by phytosanitary certificates or to be submitted to inspection or treatment. (e) Any inspection or other phytosanitary procedure required by the plant protection organisation of a Contracting Party for a consignment of plants, plant products or other regulated articles offered for importation, shall take place as promptly as possible with due regard to their perishability. (f) Importing Contracting Parties shall, as soon as possible, inform the exporting Contracting Party concerned or, where appropriate, the re-exporting Contracting Party concerned, of significant instances of non-compliance with phytosanitary certification. The exporting Contracting Party or, where appropriate, the re-exporting Contracting Party concerned, should investigate and, on request, report the result of its investigation to the importing Contracting Party concerned. (g) Contracting Parties shall institute only phytosanitary measures that are technically justified, consistent with the pest risk involved and represent the least restrictive measures available, and result in the minimum impediment to the international movement of people, commodities and conveyances. (h) Contracting Parties shall, as conditions change, and as new facts become available, ensure that phytosanitary measures are promptly modified or removed if found to be unnecessary. (i) Contracting Parties shall, to the best of their ability, establish and update lists of regulated pests, using scientific names, and make such lists available to the Secretary, to regional plant protection organisations of which they are members and, on request, to other Contracting Parties. (j) Contracting Parties shall, to the best of their ability, conduct surveillance for pests and develop and maintain adequate information on pest status in order to support categorisation of pests, and for the development of appropriate phytosanitary measures. This information shall be made available to Contracting Parties, on request. 3. A Contracting Party may apply measures specified in this Article to pests which may not be capable of establishment in its territories but, if they gained entry, cause economic damage. Measures taken against these pests must be technically justified. 4. Contracting Parties may apply measures specified in this Article to consignments in transit through their territories only where such measures are technically justified and necessary to prevent the introduction and/or spread of pests. 5. Nothing in this Article shall prevent importing Contracting Parties from making special provision, subject to adequate safeguards, for the importation, for the purpose of scientific research, education, or other specific use, of plants and plant products and other regulated articles, and of plant pests. 6. Nothing in this Article shall prevent any Contracting Party from taking appropriate emergency action on the detection of a pest posing a potential threat to its territories or the report of such a detection. Any such action shall be evaluated as soon as possible to ensure that its continuance is justified. The action taken shall be immediately reported to Contracting Parties concerned, the Secretary, and any regional plant protection organisation of which the Contracting Party is a member. Article VIII International cooperation 1. The Contracting Parties shall cooperate with one another to the fullest practicable extent in achieving the aims of this Convention, and shall in particular: (a) cooperate in the exchange of information on plant pests, particularly the reporting of the occurrence, outbreak or spread of pests that may be of immediate or potential danger, in accordance with such procedures as may be established by the Commission; (b) participate, in so far as is practicable, in any special campaigns for combating pests that may seriously threaten crop production and need international action to meet the emergencies; and (c) cooperate, to the extent practicable, in providing technical and biological information necessary for pest risk analysis. 2. Each Contracting Party shall designate a contact point for the exchange of information connected with the implementation of this Convention. Article IX Regional plant protection organisations 1. The Contracting Parties undertake to cooperate with one another in establishing regional plant protection organisations in appropriate areas. 2. The regional plant protection organisations shall function as the coordinating bodies in the areas covered, shall participate in various activities to achieve the objectives of this Convention and, where appropriate, shall gather and disseminate information. 3. The regional plant protection organisations shall cooperate with the Secretary in achieving the objectives of the Convention and, where appropriate, cooperate with the Secretary and the Commission in developing international standards. 4. The Secretary will convene regular Technical Consultations of representatives of regional plant protection organisations to: (a) promote the development and use of relevant international standards for phytosanitary measures; and (b) encourage inter-regional cooperation in promoting harmonised phytosanitary measures for controlling pests and in preventing their spread and/or introduction. Article X Standards 1. The Contracting Parties agree to cooperate in the development of international standards in accordance with the procedures adopte