The European Parliament adopted by 543 votes to 75, with 45 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the proposal for a decision of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Decision 2003/17/EC as regards the equivalence of field inspections carried out in Brazil on fodder plant seed-producing crops and cereal seed-producing crops and on the equivalence of fodder plant seed and cereal seed produced in Brazil, and as regards the equivalence of field inspections carried out in Moldova on cereal seed-producing crops, vegetable seed-producing crops and oil and fibre plant seed- producing crops and on the equivalence of cereal seed, vegetable seed and oil and fibre plant seed produced in Moldova.
The European Parliament’s position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure amended the Commission proposal as follows:
The Regulation aims to grant equivalence in respect of field inspections relating to:
- fodder plant seed-producing crops and cereal seed-producing crops, and to fodder plant seed and cereal seed produced and certified in Brazil and as regards fodder plant seed and cereal seed produced in Brazil and officially certified by its national authorities;
- cereal seed-producing crops, vegetable seed-producing crops and oil and fibre plant seed-producing crops in Moldova, and as regards cereal seed, vegetable seed and oil and fibre plant seed produced in Moldova and officially certified by its authority.
Taking into consideration the applicable rules of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), it is appropriate that the third country concerned provide an official statement that the seed has been sampled and tested in accordance with the provisions set out in the ISTA International Rules for Seed Testing ('ISTA Rules') with regard to Orange International Seed Lot Certificates, and that the seed lots be accompanied by such a certificate.
In view of the expiry of the 'Derogatory experiment on seed sampling and seed analysis' set out in Annex V(A) to the Decision adopted by the Council of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on 28 September 2000 on the OECD Schemes for the Varietal Certification of Seed Moving in International Trade, any reference to that experiment should be deleted.
Any reference to Croatia as a third country should be deleted, in view of its accession to the Union in 2013.