L 289/38 Official Journal of the European Communities 16.11.2000 COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 6 November 2000 on financial assistance from the Community for storage in France, Italy and the United Kingdom of antigen for production of foot-and-mouth disease vaccine and amending Decision 2000/112/EC (notified under document number C(2000) 3175) (2000/707 [EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European concluded between the Commission and Merial SAS, in accordance with this Decision. Community, (4)  Commission Decision 2000/112/EC detailing the distribution between antigen banks of antigen reserves established within the framework of the Community Having regard to Council Decision 90/424[EEC of 26 June action concerning reserves of foot-and-mouth disease 1990 on expenditure in the veterinary field ('), as last amended vaccines and amending Decisions 93/590/EC and 97/ by Council Regulation (EC) No 1258/1999 of 17 May 1999 on 348/EC (°) with regard to the storage site of certain the financing of the common agricultural policy (?), and in quantities and strains of antigen applies since 1 February particular Article 14 thereof, 2000. However the transfer of antigen from Pirbright Institute for Animal Health to Merial SAS, Pirbright was delayed for technical reasons and thereby Pirbright Insti- Whereas: tute for Animal Health, continued to provide to the Community the services of an antigen bank until the transfer was completed on 28 June 2000. (1) By virtue of Council Decision 91/666/EEC of 11 December 1991 estasblishing Community reserves of foot-and-mouth disease vaccines (%), as last amended by (5)  The functions and duties of these antigen banks are Decision 1999/762[EC (¥), establishment of antigen specified in Article 4 of Decision 91/666/EEC and banks is part of the Community's action to create community assistance must be conditional on accom- Community reserves of foot-and-mouth disease vaccine. plishment of these. (2)  Article 3 of that Decision designates the Laboratoire de (6)  Community financial assistance should be granted to the pathologie bovine du Centre national d'études vétéri- banks providing services to the Community to enable naires et alimentaires at Lyon in France and the Istituto them to carry out during 2000 the said functions and Zooprofilaticco Sperimentale di Brescia in Italy as duties. antigen banks holding Community reserves and provides for procedures to designate other establishments as antigen bank by Commission Decision. (7)  For budgetary reasons the Community assistance should be granted for a period of one year. (3) By Decision 2000/111/EC (}) the Commission desig- nated Merial SAS, Pirbright, United Kingdom, as a third (8)  For financial control purposes Articles 8 and 9 of Regu- antigen bank and made provisions for the transfer of lation (EC) No 1258/1999 should apply. antigen from a bank no longer designated. The Community financial contribution for the year 2000 is subject of the contract on transfer and storage of antigen (9  Commission Decision 2000/112/EC should be amended () O] L 224, 18.8.1990, p. 19. () O] L 160, 26.6.1999, p. 103. () O] L 368, 31.12.1991, p. 21. () O] L 301, 24.11.1999, p. 6. () O] L 33, 8.2.2000, p. 19. in order to take account of the delayed transfer of antigen from Pirbright Institute For Animal Health to Merial SAS, Pirbright, United Kingdom. (9 O] L 33, 8.2.2000, p. 21.