Prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs); Commission implementing powers

PURPOSE: to introduce new implementing procedures concerning rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs)

PROPOSED ACT: Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council.

BACKGROUND: in 2006 rules governing the Commission’s implementing powers were amended by Council Decision 2006/512/EC. This Council Decision introduced a new “regulatory procedure with scrutiny for measures of general scope designed to amend non-essential elements of a basic instrument that have been adopted in accordance with the co-decision procedure”. This may include deleting some elements, or supplementing the instrument, through the addition of new non-essential elements.

The Commission has examined all instruments adopted by co-decision in a bid to identify those which permit the Commission to adopt measures of a general scope and which are designed to amend “non-essential” elements of the basic instrument in question. Over 200 instruments have been identified.

CONTENT: the purpose of this proposal is to introduce the new regulatory procedure with scrutiny to Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 laying down rules for the prevention, control and eradication of certain transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). This Regulation is currently subject to the Commission’s codification programme and adaptation of the new procedure should take place, depending on how far the codification process has progressed – either by recasting the codified proposal or, as is currently being proposed, by legislative amendment.