Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/535
of 5 April 2016
amending Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 206/2010 as regards the entry of Singapore in the list of third countries, territories or parts thereof from which the introduction into the Union of fresh meat is authorised
(Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Council Directive 2002/99/EC of 16 December 2002 laying down the animal health rules governing the production, processing, distribution and introduction of products of animal origin for human consumption, and in particular the introductory phrase of Article 8, the first subparagraph of Article 8(1) and Articles 8(4) and 9(4) thereof,
OJ L 18, 23.1.2003, p. 11.
Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 854/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down specific rules for the organisation of official controls on products of animal origin intended for human consumption, and in particular Article 11(1) and Article 16 thereof,
OJ L 139, 30.4.2004, p. 206.
Having regard to Council Decision 97/132/EC of 17 December 1996 on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Community and New Zealand on sanitary measures applicable to trade in live animals and animal products, and in particular Article 4 thereof,
OJ L 57, 26.2.1997, p. 4.
Whereas:
(1) Directive 2002/99/EC lays down, inter alia, the animal health requirements for the introduction into the Union of products of animal origin for human consumption. In accordance with those requirements, the introduction of such products into the Union is only to be authorised from third countries that appear on a list drawn up by the Commission.
(2) Directive 2002/99/EC also provides that rules and certification for transit may be laid down.
(3) The Agreement between the European Community and New Zealand on sanitary measures applicable to trade in live animals and animal products, attached to Decision 97/132/EC (‘The Agreement’), provides for the establishment of guarantees for the introduction of fresh meat from New Zealand that are equivalent to those laid down in Union law, in particular by Directive 2002/99/EC and Commission Regulation (EU) No 206/2010. Such equivalence has been established for fresh meat on animal and public health as laid down in Annex V to the Agreement.
Commission Regulation (EU) No 206/2010 of 12 March 2010 laying down lists of third countries, territories or parts thereof authorised for the introduction into the European Union of certain animals and fresh meat and the veterinary certification requirements (OJ L 73, 20.3.2010, p. 1).
(4) Regulation (EU) No 206/2010 lays down, inter alia, the conditions for the introduction into the Union of consignments of fresh meat. To this end, Part 1 of its Annex II sets out a list of third countries, territories or parts thereof from which such consignments may be introduced into the Union and the models of veterinary certificates to accompany those consignments, taking into account any specific conditions or supplementary guarantees required.
(5) New Zealand is listed in Part 1 of Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 206/2010 as a country authorised for the introduction into the Union of consignments of fresh meat of domestic bovine, ovine and porcine animals, domestic solipeds, farmed and wild non-domestic animals of the order Artiodactyla and farmed and wild non-domestic animals belonging to the Suidae, Tayassuidae or Tapiridae families.
(6) Upon entry into the Union such consignments must be accompanied by the appropriate model veterinary certificates as set out in Part 2 of Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 206/2010, without prejudice to specific certification requirements provided for in Union agreements with third countries. As regards those consignments from New Zealand, such requirements are set out in Annex V to the Agreement and the veterinary certificate model set out in Annex I to Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1901.
Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1901 of 20 October 2015 laying down certification rules and a model health certificate for importation into the Union of consignments of live animals and animal products from New Zealand and repealing Decision 2003/56/EC (OJ L 277, 22.10.2015, p. 32).
(7) New Zealand seeks for a faster way of transport to the Union of consignments of fresh meat for a more efficient use of such meat, considering its shelf life. New Zealand therefore envisages to transport such consignments by air plane to Singapore, unload them from means of air transport, having the possibility for temporary storage in an approved establishment in the Customs area of Singapore airport, reload them in the same establishment and transit them through the territory of Singapore to the departure port for transport by container vessel from Singapore to the Union.
(8) Singapore therefore has requested to be authorised for the introduction into the Union of consignments of fresh meat of New Zealand origin, eligible for introduction into the Union and destined to the Union, in order to allow unloading, storage, reloading and transit through Singapore of such consignments.
(9) At the time of departure from New Zealand such fresh meat is to comply with the specific public and animal health requirements for introduction into the Union. The competent authority of Singapore has established import controls and procedures to ensure that unloading, storage, reloading and transit through Singapore will not affect such compliance.
(10) In March 2015, the Commission carried out a fact finding audit in Singapore, to gather information on and to assess the import controls carried out by the competent authorities of Singapore and the transit procedure established in relation to the requested authorisation. The Commission concluded from the outcome of that audit that import controls and transit procedures implemented by the competent authorities of Singapore offer satisfactory guarantees to ensure the integrity and safety of the consignments of fresh meat from New Zealand, in particular as regards animal and public health requirements.
(11) To certify those import controls and transit procedures, a veterinary certificate should be issued by the competent authority of Singapore to further be presented to the border inspection post of introduction into the Union. To this purpose a model veterinary certificate ‘NZ-TRANSIT-SG’ is drawn up.
(12) The Agreement lays down specific rules on certification, frontier checks and inspection fees for imports from New Zealand which are also applicable to consignments in transit through Singapore.
(13) The Agreement enables for certificates to be provided electronically for New Zealand products exported to the Union, through use of the Union integrated electronic system established by Commission Decision 2003/24/EC (‘TRACES’).
Commission Decision 2003/24/EC of 30 December 2002 concerning the development of an integrated computerised veterinary system (OJ L 8, 14.1.2003, p. 44).
(14) To align with the electronic certification requirements for New Zealand as laid down in Annex VII to the Agreement and Implementing Decision (EU) 2015/1901, the model veterinary certificate ‘NZ-TRANSIT-SG’ should be laid down in TRACES.
(15) Upon the entry into the Union, the consignments should be accompanied by both the appropriate model of veterinary certificate issued by the competent authority of New Zealand and the model of veterinary certificate ‘NZ-TRANSIT-SG’, issued by the competent authority of Singapore in TRACES, in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.
(16) It is therefore appropriate to amend Part 1 of Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 206/2010 in order to add the entry of Singapore to the list of third countries, territories and parts thereof to be authorised for the introduction into the Union of consignments of fresh meat originating from New Zealand, destined to the Union and being unloaded, reloaded and transited with or without storage through Singapore.
(17) It is furthermore appropriate to amend Part 2 of Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 206/2010 to add the model of veterinary certificate ‘NZ-TRANSIT-SG’ to the list of Models of veterinary certificates.
(18) Parts 1 and 2 of Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 206/2010 should therefore be amended accordingly.
(19) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1 Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 206/2010 is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation.
Article 2 Member States may authorise introduction of commodities covered by the certificate provided for in point (2)(b) of the Annex to this Regulation, only if that certificate issued by the competent authority of Singapore and the veterinary certificate issued by the competent authority of New Zealand have been issued after 26 April 2016.
Article 3 This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 5 April 2016.
For the Commission
The President
Jean-Claude Juncker
ANNEX Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 206/2010 is amended as follows:
(1) in Part 1, the following entry for Singapore is inserted between the entries for Russia and El Salvador:

‘SG — Singapore Only for fresh meat originating from New Zealand, for which New Zealand is authorised for introduction into the Union, which is accompanied by the appropriate model of veterinary certificate issued by the competent authority of New Zealand, destined to the Union and being unloaded, with or without storage and reloaded in an approved establishment during transit through Singapore.	SG-0	Whole country	NZ-TRANSIT-SG Upon entry into the Union, the consignments should be accompanied both by this model of veterinary certificate issued in TRACES by the competent authority of Singapore and by the appropriate model of veterinary certificate for import of fresh meat issued by the competent authority of New Zealand, which may be attached in TRACES by the competent authority of Singapore.’;				

(2) Part 2 is amended as follows:
(a) in the list of Models of veterinary certificates, the following model is inserted after the model ‘EQW’:

‘‘NZ-TRANSIT-SG’	Model of veterinary certificate only for transit through Singapore with unloading, possible storage and reloading of fresh meat originating from New Zealand, for which New Zealand is authorised for introduction into the Union, which is eligible for introduction and destined to the Union.’;

(b) the following model veterinary certificate is inserted after the veterinary certificate Model EQW: