Council Decision 2003/17/EC (3) provides that, under certain conditions, field inspections carried out on certain seed-producing crops in the third countries listed in Annex I to that Decision are to be considered equivalent to field inspections carried out in accordance with Union law. It also provides that, under certain conditions, seed of certain species produced in those third countries is to be considered equivalent to seed produced in accordance with Union law.
(2)
Equivalence has been granted to those third countries by relying on the multilateral framework for international trade of seeds, namely the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Seed Schemes for the Varietal Certification of Seed moving in International Trade and the methods of the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA) or, where appropriate, the rules of the Association of Official Seed Analysts that are equivalent to the ISTA methods. The Commission has also carried out legislative assessments and audits in some of those third countries in order to verify whether they meet the requirements under Union law before granting equivalence for the first time. Annual testing and reporting within the OECD framework, periodical re-auditing of laboratories for ISTA accreditation, as well as official inspections in the context of Union law, indicate that field inspections carried out in those third countries continue to afford the same guarantees as field inspections carried out by Member States and that seed produced and certified in those third countries continues to afford the same guarantees as seed produced and certified in Member States. Those field inspections and seed should therefore continue to be considered equivalent to Union field inspections and seed.
(3)
In 2016 Bolivia submitted a request to the Commission for the granting of equivalence to its system of field inspections of seed-producing crops and to seed of Sorghum spp. (sorghum), Zea mays (maize) and Helianthus annuus (sunflower) produced and certified in Bolivia.
(4)
The Commission assessed the relevant legislation of Bolivia, carried out an audit in 2018 concerning the system of official controls of seed production and seed certification of sorghum, maize and sunflower in Bolivia, and their equivalence with Union requirements, and published the audit’s findings in a report entitled ‘Final report of an audit carried out in the Plurinational State of Bolivia from 14 March 2018 to 22 March 2018 in order to evaluate the system of official controls and certification of seed and their equivalence with European Union requirements’.
(5)
That audit showed that there is a well-organised system for seed production and certification in Bolivia. The Commission identified some shortcomings and provided recommendations to Bolivia. Since Bolivia addressed those shortcomings by 30 November 2018, it satisfies the conditions set out in Annex II to Decision 2003/17/EC and the respective requirements set out in Council Directives 66/402/EEC (4) and 2002/57/EC (5).
(6)
Therefore, it is appropriate to grant equivalence as regards field inspections carried out in respect of seed-producing crops of sorghum, maize and sunflower in Bolivia and as regards seed of sorghum, maize and sunflower produced in Bolivia and officially certified by its authorities.
(7)
As Decision 2003/17/EC will expire on 31 December 2022, the period for which equivalence is recognised under that Decision should be extended, in order to avoid any risk of disruption of imports of seed into the Union. Taking into consideration the investment and the time needed for the production of seed certified in accordance with Union law, it is appropriate to extend that period by seven years.
(8)
Decision 2003/17/EC should therefore be amended accordingly,
