7.10.2015   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 260/1

(1)

In order to ensure uniform application of the Combined Nomenclature annexed to Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87, it is necessary to adopt measures concerning the classification of the goods referred to in the Annex to this Regulation.

(2)

Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 has laid down the general rules for the interpretation of the Combined Nomenclature. Those rules apply also to any other nomenclature which is wholly or partly based on it or which adds any additional subdivision to it and which is established by specific provisions of the Union, with a view to the application of tariff and other measures relating to trade in goods.

(3)

Pursuant to those general rules, the goods described in column (1) of the table set out in the Annex should be classified under the CN code indicated in column (2), by virtue of the reasons set out in column (3) of that table.

(4)

It is appropriate to provide that binding tariff information issued in respect of the goods concerned by this Regulation which does not conform to this Regulation may, for a certain period, continue to be invoked by the holder in accordance with Article 12(6) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 (2). That period should be set at three months.

(5)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Customs Code Committee,

7.10.2015   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 260/4

(1)

Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011 lays down, pursuant to the outcome of the Uruguay Round multilateral trade negotiations, the criteria whereby the Commission fixes the standard values for imports from third countries, in respect of the products and periods stipulated in Annex XVI, Part A thereto.

(2)

The standard import value is calculated each working day, in accordance with Article 136(1) of Implementing Regulation (EU) No 543/2011, taking into account variable daily data. Therefore this Regulation should enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union,

7.10.2015   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 260/6

(1)

Annexes II and III to Directive 98/83/EC lay down the minimum requirements of the monitoring programmes for all water intended for human consumption and the specifications for the method of analysis of different parameters.

(2)

The specifications in those Annexes II and III should be updated in the light of scientific and technical progress and so as to ensure coherence with Union legislation.

(3)

Annex II to Directive 98/83/EC grants a certain degree of flexibility in performing the audit monitoring and check monitoring, allowing for less frequent sampling under certain circumstances. The specific conditions to perform the monitoring of parameters at appropriate frequencies and the range of monitoring techniques need to be clarified in the light of scientific progress.

(4)

Since 2004, the World Health Organisation has developed the water safety plan approach which is based on risk assessment and risk management principles, laid down in its Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality  (2). Those Guidelines, together with standard EN 15975-2 concerning security of drinking water supply, are internationally recognised principles on which the production, distribution, monitoring and analysis of parameters in drinking water is based. Annex II to Directive 98/83/EC should therefore be aligned to the latest updates of those principles.

(5)

To control risks to human health, the monitoring programmes should ensure that there are measures in place throughout the water supply chain and consider information from water bodies used for drinking water abstraction. The general obligations for monitoring programmes should bridge the gap between water abstraction and supply. Pursuant to Article 6 of Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (3), Member States must ensure the establishment of register(s) of protected areas. Such protected areas include all bodies of water used for the abstraction of drinking water, or intended for such use, under Article 7(1) of that Directive. Results from the monitoring of those bodies of water under the second subparagraph of Article 7(1) and Article 8 of that Directive should be used to determine the potential risk for drinking water before and after treatment for the purposes of Directive 98/83/EC.

(6)

Experience has shown that, for many (particularly physico-chemical) parameters, the concentrations present would rarely result in any breach of limit values. Monitoring and reporting such parameters without practical relevance imply significant costs, especially where a large number of parameters need to be considered. Introducing flexible monitoring frequencies under such circumstances presents potential cost-saving opportunities that would not damage public health or other benefits. Flexible monitoring also reduces the collection of data that provide little or no information on the quality of the drinking water.

(7)

Member States should therefore be allowed to derogate from the monitoring programmes they have established, provided credible risk assessments are performed, which may be based on the WHO Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality and should take into account the monitoring carried out under Article 8 of Directive 2000/60/EC.

(8)

Table B2 in Annex II to Directive 98/83/EC, which concerns water put into bottles or containers intended for sale, has become obsolete, as those products are covered by Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4). Those products are also covered by the principle of ‘hazard analysis and critical control point’ (HACCP) laid down in Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (5) and the principles of official controls as laid down in Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council (6). As a consequence of the adoption of those Regulations, Annex II to Directive 98/83/EC de facto no longer applies to water put into bottles or containers intended for sale.

(9)

Council Directive 2013/51/Euratom (7) introduced specific arrangements for monitoring for radioactive substances. Monitoring programmes for radioactive substances should therefore exclusively be established under that Directive.

(10)

Laboratories applying the specifications for the analysis of the parameters laid down in Annex III to Directive 98/83/EC should work in accordance with internationally approved procedures or criteria-based performance standards and use methods of analysis that have, as far as possible, been validated.

(11)

Commission Directive 2009/90/EC (8) provides for standard EN ISO/IEC 17025, or other equivalent standards accepted at international level, to be used to validate the methods of analysis. EN ISO/IEC 17025 is also one of the standards used under Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 for the accreditation of laboratories designated by the competent authorities in the Member States. It is therefore necessary to provide for that standard, or other equivalent standards accepted at international level, for the validation of the methods of analysis in the context of Directive 98/83/EC. In order to align Annex III to Directive 98/83/EC with Directive 2009/90/EC, the limit of quantification and uncertainty of measurement should be introduced as performance characteristics. However, Member States should be able to continue to allow the use of trueness, precision and limit of detection as performance characteristics under Annex III to Directive 98/83/EC for a limited period, thus providing laboratories with sufficient time to adapt to this technical advance.

(12)

A number of ISO standards have been established for analysing microbiological parameters. Thus, EN ISO 9308-1 and EN ISO 9308-2 (for the enumeration of E. coli and coliform bacteria) and standard EN ISO 14189 (for the analysis of Clostridium perfringens) provide all necessary specifications for performing the analysis. Those new standards and technical developments should be reflected in Annex III to Directive 98/83/EC.

(13)

For the purposes of assessing the equivalence of alternative methods with the method laid down in Annex III to Directive 98/83/EC, Member States should be permitted to use standard EN ISO 17994, which has already been established as the standard on the equivalence of microbiological methods in the context of Directive 2006/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (9) and by Commission Decision 2009/64/EC (10). Alternatively, they should be permitted to use standard EN ISO 16140 or any other similar internationally accepted protocols, as referred to in Article 5(5) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 (11), to establish the equivalence of methods based on principles other than culturing, which are beyond the scope of EN ISO 17994.

(14)

Annexes II and III to Directive 98/83/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.

(15)

The measures provided for in this Directive are in accordance with the opinion of the Drinking Water Committee established under Article 12(1) of Directive 98/83/EC,

(1)

Annex II is replaced by the text set out in Annex I to this Directive;

(2)

Annex III is amended in accordance with Annex II to this Directive.

7.10.2015   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 260/18

(1)

By Decision 2002/648/EC (2), the Council approved the conclusion of the Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and the Government of the Republic of India (3) (‘the Agreement’).

(2)

Point (b) of Article 11 of the Agreement provides that the Agreement is concluded for a period of 5 years and may be renewed by mutual agreement between the Parties. By Decision 2009/501/EC of the Council (4), the Agreement was renewed for a further period of 5 years and is due to expire on 17 May 2015.

(3)

The Parties to the Agreement consider that a rapid renewal of the Agreement would be in their mutual interest.

(4)

The content of the renewed Agreement should be identical to the content of the Agreement.

(5)

As a consequence of the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009, the European Union has replaced and succeeded the European Community.

(6)

The renewal of the Agreement should be approved on behalf of the Union,

7.10.2015   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 260/20

(1)

The Agreement on the European Economic Area (2) (‘the EEA Agreement’) entered into force on 1 January 1994.

(2)

Pursuant to Article 98 of the EEA Agreement, the EEA Joint Committee may decide to amend, inter alia, Annexes II and XX to the EEA Agreement.

(3)

Directive 2009/30/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (3) is to be incorporated into the EEA Agreement.

(4)

Annexes II and XX to the EEA Agreement should therefore be amended accordingly.

(5)

The position of the Union within the EEA Joint Committee should therefore be based on the attached draft Decision,

7.10.2015   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 260/23

(1)

Pursuant to Council Decision 2010/570/EU, Euratom (2), the term of office of the current members of the European Economic and Social Committee expires on 20 September 2015. Members should therefore be appointed for a period of 5 years as from 21 September 2015.

(2)

Each Member State was requested to submit to the Council a list of candidates consisting of representatives of organisations of employers, of the employed and of other parties representative of civil society, notably in socioeconomic, civic, professional and cultural areas, for appointment as members of the European Economic and Social Committee.

(3)

On 18 September 2015, the Council adopted Decision (EU, Euratom) 2015/1600 (3) appointing the members proposed by the Belgian, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, Estonian, Greek, Irish, Spanish, French, Croatian, Italian, Cypriot, Latvian, Luxembourg, Hungarian, Maltese, Austrian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovenian, Slovak, Finnish, Swedish and United Kingdom Governments, as well as nine members proposed by the Dutch Government, for the period from 21 September 2015 to 20 September 2020. Members whose nominations had not been communicated to the Council by 8 September 2015 could not be included in Decision (EU, Euratom) 2015/1600.

(4)

On 14 September 2015 and on 17 September 2015, the list containing three members proposed by the Dutch Government as well as the list of members proposed by the Lithuanian Government were submitted to the Council. Those members should be appointed for the same period, running from 21 September 2015 to 20 September 2020, as that applicable to the members appointed by Decision (EU, Euratom) 2015/1600. This Decision should therefore apply retroactively from 21 September 2015,

7.10.2015   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 260/27

(1)

On 26 January, on 5 February and on 23 June 2015, the Council adopted Decisions (EU) 2015/116 (1), (EU) 2015/190 (2) and (EU) 2015/994 (3) appointing the members and alternate members of the Committee of the Regions for the period from 26 January 2015 to 25 January 2020.

(2)

An alternate member's seat on the Committee of the Regions has become vacant following the end of the term of office of Mr Onofrio INTRONA,

—

Mr Roberto CIAMBETTI, Consigliere e Presidente del Consiglio regionale della Regione Veneto

7.10.2015   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 260/28

(1)

On 26 January, on 5 February and on 23 June 2015, the Council adopted Decisions (EU) 2015/116 (1), (EU) 2015/190 (2) and (EU) 2015/994 (3) appointing the members and alternate members of the Committee of the Regions for the period from 26 January 2015 to 25 January 2020,

(2)

Five members' seats on the Committee of the Regions have become vacant following the end of the term of office of Ms Rita BARBERÁ NOLLA, Ms Yolanda BARCINA ANGULO, Ms María Dolores de COSPEDAL GARCÍA, Mr Ignacio GONZÁLEZ GONZÁLEZ and Mr José Antonio MONAGO TERRAZA,

(3)

Five alternate members' seats on the Committee of the Regions have become vacant following the end of the term of office of Mr Enrique BARRASA SÁNCHEZ, Mr Borja COROMINAS FISAS, Ms Teresa GIMÉNEZ DELGADO DE TORRES, Ms María Victoria PALAU TÁRREGA and Mr Juan Luis SÁNCHEZ DE MUNIÁIN LACASA,

—

D.a Miren Uxue BARCOS BERRUEZO, Presidenta de la Comunidad Foral de Navarra

—

D.a Cristina CIFUENTES CUENCAS, Presidenta de la Comunidad de Madrid

—

D. Guillermo FERNÁNDEZ VARA, Presidente de la Junta de Extremadura

—

D. Emiliano GARCÍA-PAGE SÁNCHEZ, Presidente de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha

—

D. Ximo PUIG I FERRER, Presidente de la Generalidad Valenciana

—

Dña Rosa BALAS TORRES, Directora General de Acción Exterior de la Junta de Extremadura

—

Dña. Elena CEBRIÁN CALVO, Consejera de Agricultura, Medio Ambiente, Cambio Climático y Desarrollo Rural de la Generalidad Valenciana

—

D. Cruz FERNÁNDEZ MARISCAL, Director General de Relaciones Institucionales y Asuntos Europeos de la Vicepresidencia de la Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha

—

D.a Yolanda IBARROLA DE LA FUENTE, Directora General de Asuntos Europeos y Cooperación con el Estado de la Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid

—

D.a Ana OLLO HUALDE, Consejera de Relaciones Ciudadanas e Institucionales

7.10.2015   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 260/30

(1)

On 16 July 2012, the Council adopted Decision 2012/389/CFSP (1).

(2)

On 22 July 2014, the Council adopted Decision 2014/485/CFSP (2) amending Decision 2012/389/CFSP and extending the European Union Mission on Regional Maritime Capacity Building in the Horn of Africa (EUCAP NESTOR) until 12 December 2016.

(3)

Decision 2012/389/CFSP should be amended to extend the period covered by the financial reference amount until 15 December 2015,

7.10.2015   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 260/31

1.

for:

2.

for:

3.

for:

1.

for:

2.

for: