REPORT on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 998/2003 on the animal health requirements applicable to the non-commercial movement of pet animals

4.12.2009 - (COM(2009)0268 – C7‑0035/2009 – 2009/0077(COD)) - ***I

Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety
Rapporteur: Bairbre de Brún

Amendments

• 001-003 (PDF - 98 KB)
• 001-003 (DOC - 45 KB)
• 004-004 (PDF - 156 KB)
• 004-004 (DOC - 277 KB)

DRAFT EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION

on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 998/2003 on the animal health requirements applicable to the non-commercial movement of pet animals

(COM(2009)0268 – C7‑0035/2009 – 2009/0077(COD))

(Codecision procedure: first reading)

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to the Commission proposal to the European Parliament and the Council (COM(2009)0268),

–   having regard to Article 251(2) and Articles 37 and 152(4)(b) of the EC Treaty, pursuant to which the Commission submitted the proposal to Parliament (C7‑0035/2009),

–   having regard to Article 294(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

–   having regard to Rule 55 of its Rules of Procedure,

–   having regard to the report of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (A7-0082/2009),

1.  Approves the Commission proposal as amended;

2.  Calls on the Commission to refer the matter to Parliament again if it intends to amend the proposal substantially or replace it with another text;

3.  Instructs its President to forward its position to the Council and the Commission.

Amendment  1 Proposal for a regulation – amending act Article 1 - point 2 Regulation (EC) No 998/2003 Article 5 - paragraph 1 - point b - point ii

Text proposed by the Commission Amendment (ii) where necessary, preventive measures regarding other diseases were carried out on the animal in question.' (ii) where necessary, preventive health measures regarding other diseases were carried out on the animal in question.'

Justification

This addition is to specify that the preventive measures have to be directly related to health.

Amendment  2 Proposal for a regulation – amending act Article 1 - point 3 Regulation (EC) No 998/2003 Article 5 - paragraph 1

Text proposed by the Commission Amendment     'The preventive measures referred to in point (b)(ii) may be laid down by the Commission. Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Regulation by supplementing it, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 24(4).' 'The preventive health measures referred to in point (b)(ii) may be laid down by the Commission. Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Regulation by supplementing it, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 24(4).'

Justification

See justification to Am 1.

Amendment  3 Proposal for a regulation – amending act Article 1 - point 5 Regulation (EC) No 998/2003 Article 8 - paragraph 1 - point b - point ii

Text proposed by the Commission Amendment '(ii) until 31 December 2011, one of the Member States listed in part A of Annex II, either immediately or after transit through one of the territories listed in part B of Annex II, be placed in quarantine.' '(ii) until 31 December 2011, one of the Member States listed in part A of Annex II, either immediately or after transit through one of the territories listed in part B of Annex II, be placed in quarantine unless they have been brought into conformity with the requirements of Article 6 after their entry into the Union.'

Justification

This addition reflects a logical, technical rectification of an omission in the proposed text.

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Introduction

The harmonised rules for the non-commercial movement of pets within and into the Community are laid down in Regulation (EC) No 998/2003.

These rules provide for a ‘general regime’ requiring pets (cats, dogs and ferrets) travelling between Member States to be identified and accompanied by a passport giving proof of an anti-rabies vaccination.

They also provide for a transitional regime, allowing certain Member States to apply more stringent requirements, depending on the disease.

The Commission proposal

The transitional regime as regards rabies was initially to come to an end in October 2008. It was subsequently extended by Regulation No 454/2008 to June 2010 and the Commission is now proposing that it run until 31 December 2011, for movements of pets both between Member States and from third countries. It is proposed that the transitional regime as regards echinococcosis and ticks, too, should apply until 31 December 2011.

The end of the proposed extension coincides better with the period when the European Commission expects to terminate EU funding of vaccination programmes to eradicate sylvatic rabies in some Member States, which is the main rabies problem in the EU.

Depending on the situation, the Commission has the possibility to introduce measures concerning other diseases (i.e. echinococcosis and ticks but also others) under comitology procedures if required.

In addition, some technical adaptations are proposed, inter alia on:

-          identification of a pet (Article 1(1) of and Annex Ia to the Commission proposal);

-          the technical requirements for the anti-rabies vaccination (Article 1(2) of and Annex Ib to the Commission proposal)

-          the comitology procedures applying to new point (b)(ii) in Article 5(1), and to Annex Ia (Article 1(8) of the Commission proposal).

Conclusion

The rapporteur recommends adoption of this Commission proposal and does not intend to table any amendments other than three technical changes resulting from typographical errors in the Commission proposal.

The Commission has opted for a careful precautionary approach, giving priority to prevention and to additional health considerations related to the internal market and free movement of pets.

The different policy options have been compared and considered by the Commission, taking into account the various EFSA opinions.

The proposed date for ending the transitional regimes will allow the infrastructure to be converted and the staff in place to be retrained gradually and adapt to the new situation.

PROCEDURE

Title	Animal health requirements applicable to the non-commercial movement of pet animals
References	COM(2009)0268 – C7-0035/2009 – 2009/0077(COD)
Date submitted to Parliament	16.6.2009
Committee responsible        Date announced in plenary	ENVI 14.7.2009
Committee(s) asked for opinion(s)        Date announced in plenary	AGRI 14.7.2009
Not delivering opinions        Date of decision	AGRI 2.9.2009
Rapporteur(s)        Date appointed	Bairbre de Brún 11.9.2009
Discussed in committee	4.11.2009
Date adopted	1.12.2009
Result of final vote	+: –: 0:	35 0 1
Members present for the final vote	Elena Oana Antonescu, Pilar Ayuso, Paolo Bartolozzi, Milan Cabrnoch, Nessa Childers, Chris Davies, Bairbre de Brún, Esther de Lange, Anne Delvaux, Karl-Heinz Florenz, Gerben-Jan Gerbrandy, Jolanta Emilia Hibner, Karin Kadenbach, Christa Klaß, Corinne Lepage, Peter Liese, Marisa Matias, James Nicholson, Vladko Todorov Panayotov, Gilles Pargneaux, Antonyia Parvanova, Andres Perello Rodriguez, Sirpa Pietikäinen, Pavel Poc, Vittorio Prodi, Carl Schlyter, Catherine Soullie, Anja Weisgerber, Åsa Westlund, Glenis Willmott, Sabine Wils
Substitute(s) present for the final vote	Christofer Fjellner, Mairead McGuinness, Judith A. Merkies, Miroslav Mikolášik
Substitute(s) under Rule 187(2) present for the final vote	Silvia-Adriana Ţicău