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After three months of negotiations, the Luxembourg Presidency welcomed the memorandum that was signed on Tuesday evening 15 March between the European Union and the Russian authorities on phytosanitary (plant health) certifications for plants and plant products for export from the European Union to Russia.
At the end of 2004, the Russian authorities requested the European Commission to set up a harmonised certificate in the area of plant health by 1 April 2005, without which the entry of all Community plant products would have been blocked from import. The first series of negotiations with the Russian authorities was held in Moscow and Berlin in January 2005. These negotiations resulted in an agreement on a standardised model for phytosanitary certificates for exports to Russia. A second negotiation was held in mid-February in Moscow to discuss the problem of merchandise that transits between different Member States before export to Russia. The preparatory work for the Council and the Commission was undertaken by the Roosendaal - Eastern Europe/Russia Group.
The memorandum was signed in the presence of Mr S. Dankvert, head of the Russian veterinarian and plant health services, Ms J. Husu-Kallio, Deputy Director-General for Health and Consumer Protection to the Commission, and Mr A. Aschman, President of the Working Group and Representative of the Luxembourg Presidency.
The memorandum establishes:
• rules for a secure, harmonised phytosanitary certificate at the European level which ensures the state of health for plants intended for export
• general rules concerning the issue of the certificate, ensuring that Russian plant health standards are respected
• rules regarding transit within the European Union before export to Russia
The transition period for complete application of the agreement is set for 1 July 2005.
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