The committee adopted the report by Jill EVANS (Greens/EFA, UK) amending the Council's common position under the 2nd reading of the codecision procedure. It reinstated, wholly or in part, a number of amendments adopted by Parliament at 1st reading which were not taken up by the Council. In particular, it once more insisted that electronic identification systems (transponders) should be the only permitted method for identifying pet animals in the EU, following the eight-year transitional period for phasing out the use of tattoos, whereas the Council was postponing a decision on the definitive system of identification. The committee also reiterated Parliament's demand that, whatever form the animal identification system takes, provision should also be made for indicating details identifying the name and address of the owner. It argued that this would make checks easier, make it possible to find stray animals and help combat trafficking in pets. Another amendment deleted the clause in the common position stipulating that the requirement of compliance with ISO standards for the transponders should be the subject of a report by the Commission before 2005. The committee argued that the ISO standard should be compulsory as it would guarantee reliability and assist in public understanding of the scheme.
Other reinstated 1st reading amendments covered the following points:
- deletion of Article 5(2) of the common position relating to the movement of unvaccinated animals under 3 months old and its replacement by a new paragraph stipulating that the conditions laid down in the regulation should also apply to the young of animals specified in Annex I (Part A and B), which should not therefore be moved before they had reached the required age of vaccination;
- as regards drawing up the list of third countries deemed to be free of rabies, the criteria laid down by the OIE Animal Health Code definition should be taken into account.
Lastly, in a new amendment, the committee insisted that the possibility of extending the transitional period for the entry of pet animals into Ireland, Sweden and the UK be decided by Parliament and Council jointly, rather than by the Council alone, as provided for in the common position.
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