When the lists of authorised third countries are drawn up or amended, particular account shall be taken of:

1. (a)

   the health status of livestock, other domestic animals and wildlife in the third country, with particular regard to exotic animal diseases and any aspects of the general health and the environmental situation in the third country which may pose a risk to the health and the environmental status of the Community;

2. (b)

   the legislation of the third country in relation to animal health and welfare;

3. (c)

   the organisation of the competent veterinary authority and its inspection services, the powers of those services, the supervision to which they are subject, and the means at their disposal, including staff and laboratory capacity, to apply national legislation effectively;

4. (d)

   the assurances which the competent veterinary authority of the third country can give regarding compliance or equivalence with the relevant animal health conditions applicable in the Community;

5. (e)

   whether the third country is a member of the OIE and the regularity and rapidity of the information supplied by the third country relating to the existence of infectious or contagious animal diseases in its territory, in particular those diseases listed by the OIE;

6. (f)

   the guarantees given by the third country directly to inform the Commission and the Member States:

   1. (i)

      within 24 hours of the confirmation of the occurrence of any of the diseases listed in Annex II and of any change in the vaccination policy concerning such diseases;

   2. (ii)

      within an appropriate period, of any proposed changes in the national health rules concerning live ungulate animals, in particular regarding importation;

   3. (iii)

      at regular intervals, of the animal health status of its territory;

7. (g)

   any experience of previous imports of live animals from the third country and the results of any import controls carried out;

8. (h)

   the results of Community inspections and/or audits carried out in the third country, in particular the results of the assessment of the competent authorities or, where the Commission so requests, the report submitted by the competent authorities on the inspections which they have carried out;

9. (i)

   the rules on the prevention and control of infectious or contagious animal diseases in force in the third country and their implementation, including rules on the importation from other third countries.