
Article 1 
The official checks on practices for the maintenance of varieties carried out in the third countries and by the authorities, listed in the Annex, for the species covered by the Directives referred to for each of those countries shall afford the same guarantees as those carried out by the Member States.
Article 2 
Amendments to the Annex, with the exception of those concerning the first column of the table, shall be adopted in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 3(2).
Article 3 

1. The Commission shall be assisted by the Standing Committee on Seeds and Propagating Material for Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry set up by Article 1 of Decision 66/399/EEC, hereinafter referred to as ‘the Committee’.
2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 4 and 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply.The period laid down in Article 4(3) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be set at one month.
3. The Committee shall adopt its Rules of Procedure.
Article 4 
In Decision 2003/17/EC Articles 1 and 2 shall be replaced by the following:
'
Article 1 
Field inspections concerning the seed-producing crops of the species specified in Annex I carried out in the third countries listed in that Annex shall be considered equivalent to field inspections carried out in accordance with Directives 66/401/EEC, 66/402/EEC, 2002/54/EC and 2002/57/EC provided that they:

((a)) are carried out officially by the authorities listed in Annex I, or under the official supervision of those authorities;
((b)) satisfy the conditions laid down in point A of Annex II.
Article 2 
Seed of the species specified in Annex I, produced in the third countries listed in that Annex and officially certified by the authorities listed in that Annex shall be considered equivalent to seed complying with Directives 66/401/EEC, 66/402/EEC, 2002/54/EC and 2002/57/EC, if it satisfies the conditions laid down in point B of Annex II.'
Article 5 
This Decision shall apply from 1 July 2005.
However, Article 4 shall apply as from 1 October 2005.
Article 6 
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 8 November 2005.
For the Council
The President
G. BROWN
ANNEX

Country Authority responsible for carrying out checks Directives
AR Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, PESCA y Alimentación, Buenos Aires 66/401/EEC66/402/EEC2002/54/EC2002/57/EC
AU Australian Seeds Authority, Victoria 66/401/EEC2002/55/EC2002/57/EC
BG Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Sofia 66/401/EEC66/402/EEC2002/54/EC2002/55/EC2002/57/EC
CA Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Ottawa 66/401/EEC66/402/EEC2002/54/EC2002/57/EC
CH Eidgenössische Forschungsanstalt für Agrarökologie und Landbau (FAL) Zürich Station Fédérale de Recherches en Production Végétale de Changins (RAC), Nyon 2002/55/EC
CL Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero, Santiago 66/401/EEC66/402/EEC2002/54/EC2002/57/EC
CS National Laboratory for Seed Testing, Novi Sad 66/401/EEC66/402/EEC2002/54/EC2002/57/EC
HR Institute for Seed and Seedlings, Osijek 66/401/EEC66/402/EEC2002/54/EC2002/57/EC
IL Ministry of Agriculture Bet-Dagan 66/401/EEC66/402/EEC2002/54/EC2002/55/EC2002/57/EC
JP Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, 1-2-1 Kumigaseki, Chiyodaku, Tokyo 2002/55/EC
KR Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Vegetables Division, Seoul 2002/55/EC
MA Ministère de l’agriculture et de la mise en valeur agricole, Rabat 66/401/EEC66/402/EEC2002/55/EC2002/57/EC
NZ Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Wellington 66/401/EEC
RO Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Bucharest 2002/57/EC
TW Council of Agriculture, Food and Agriculture Department, Taipei 2002/55/EC
US United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland 66/401/EEC66/402/EEC2002/54/EC2002/55/EC2002/57/EC
UY Ministerio de Ganadería, Agricultura y PESCA, Montevideo 66/401/EEC66/402/EEC2002/54/EC2002/57/EC
ZA Department of Agriculture, Pretoria (Tshwane) 66/401/EEC66/402/EEC2002/57/EC
