Whereas an on-the-spot Commission inspection carried-out in June 1996 has found that the animal health situation, the veterinary services and the programme of control of foot-and-mouth disease is satisfactory in this part of Mato Grosso;

Whereas Commission Decision 83/471/EEC (2), as amended by Decision 84/375/EEC (3), laid down rules applying to the on-the-spot inspections made by the Community Inspection Committee, as specified in Article 5 of Regulation (EEC) No 1208/81;

1.Where Member States carry out on-the-spot checks pursuant to this Regulation in conjunction with inspections pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1082/2003 the control report provided for in Article 28 of this Regulation shall be supplemented by reports in accordance with Article 2(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1082/2003.

'2. On-the-spot inspections shall be carried out at least every two years in each Member State and may where necessary be followed by supplementary visits. On such visits the size of the Committee may be reduced. The programme of inspection visits shall be drawn up by the Commission after consulting the Member States.

as regards organisation of the work and relations with the departments and, where appropriate, the debtors involved in the inspection, these agents shall, prior to any on-the-spot inspections, establish the necessary contacts with the officials designated by the Member State concerned in accordance with Article 4(2);

In order to ensure effective protection of the Community's financial interests, the Commission may undertake on-the-spot checks and inspections in accordance with Council Regulation (Euratom, EC) No 2185/96 of 11 November 1996 concerning on-the-spot checks and inspections carried out by the Commission to protect the European Communities' financial interests against fraud and other irregularities(11).

The Commission shall report as soon as possible to the Swiss Federal Audit Office any fact or suspicion relating to an irregularity which has come to its notice in the course of the on-the-spot check or inspection. In any event the Commission shall be required to inform the abovementioned authority of the result of such checks and inspections.

Without prejudice to the financial audit carried out by the Court of Auditors pursuant to Article 248 of the Treaty or inspections carried out pursuant to point (c) of Article 279 of the Treaty, officials and other staff of the Commission may carry out on-the-spot checks, including sample checks, on activities funded in this cooperation framework.

Where necessary, the Commission should base any such modifications or adaptations on the results of a veterinary inspection mission carried out in accordance with Commission Decision 98/139/EC of 4 February 1998 laying down certain detailed rules concerning on-the-spot checks carried out in the veterinary field by Commission experts in the Member States(37).

Whereas it is now possible to review the list of countries by including Argentina, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Madagascar and Slovenia and to establish the regionalization for China, in accordance with information received from these countries, in some cases completed with the results of an on-the-spot inspection carried out by the Commission services;

For the purposes of this Decision, 'on-the-spot checks in the veterinary field` (hereinafter referred to as 'checks`) means auditing and inspection measures necessary to ensure that, without prejudice to the control of the application of existing veterinary legislation, the public and animal health and animal protection guarantees offered by third countries as regards production conditions and placement on the market may be regarded as at least equivalent to those applied in the Community.

Whereas a routine inspection made in application of Article 5 of Directive 72/462/EEC and Article 3 (1) of Commission Decision 80/15/EEC of 21 December 1979 concerning the on-the-spot inspections to be carried out in respect of the importation of bovine animals, swine and fresh meat from non-member countries (3), has revealed that the level of hygiene of certain establishments may be considered to be satisfactory;

Each Member State shall provide that, where an investment firm authorised in another Member State has established a branch within its territory, the competent authority of the home Member State of the investment firm, in the exercise of its responsibilities and after informing the competent authority of the host Member State, may carry out on-site inspections in that branch.

The competent authority of each Member State should carry out on-the-spot inspections, which should in general be unannounced, as provided for by Council Regulation (EEC) No 3508/92 of 27 November 1992 establishing an integrated administration and control system for certain Community aid schemes(4), as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 495/2001(5).

In order not to interrupt, unnecessarily, ongoing trade from third countries that Member States have found to comply with conditions at least equivalent to those applicable for placing on the market within the Community, certain third countries should be included in Annex I to this Decision for a interim period of time, pending the completion of the on-the-spot inspections provided for by Community rules.

whereas the condition of some of these plants does not necessitate immediate withdrawal of approval, but does justify limiting Community approval to a certain period at the end of which the said approval will expire unless, meanwhile, the necessary measures have been put into effect and verified by a further on-the-spot inspection, to be requested by the Swiss authorities if they deem it necessary;