Food safety: accession of the Community to the Codex Alimentarius Commission

PURPOSE : to request admission for the EC to the Codex Alimentarius Commission. LEGISLATIVE ACT : Council Decision 2003/822/EC on the accession of the European Community to the Codex Alimentarius Commission. CONTENT : the object of the Codex Alimentarius Commission is, inter alia, to develop and harmonise worldwide health standards and to issue guidelines and recommendations on agricultural and fishery products, foodstuffs, food additives and contaminants, feedstuffs, veterinary drugs, and pesticides. These objectives are in line with the objectives of the European Community as regards measures taken to protect human, animal or plant life or health or the environment with a view to ensuring free circulation in the internal market and imports from third countries. Since 1994, with the entry into force of the WTO Agreements, in particular the Agreement on the application of Sanitary and Phytosanirary Measures (SPS Agreement) and the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement), Codex Alimentarius standards, guidelines and recommendations have acquired increased legal relevance by virtue of the reference made to the Codex Alimentarius in the WTO Agreements and the presumption of conformity which is conferred on relevant national measures when they are based on such standards when adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. Accession of the EC as a full member of Codex Alimentarius, alongside its Member States, is essential in order to ensure that the interests of the EC are taken into consideration during the preparation, negotiation and adoption of such standards. The Statutes of the Codex Alimentarius Commission entitles the EC, as a Member of FAO, also to become a full Member of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The outcome of the negotiations conducted by the European Commission is considered to be satisfactory taking into account the interests of the EC its Member States and the specific features of the Codex Alimentarius Commission. This Decision provides for the accession of the EC to the Codex Alimentarius Commission. It also provides for practical modalities concerning the participation of the EC and its Member States.�