Division 3.7.2.2 Coordination and cooperation

Arrangements should be in place to ensure effective coordination of activities and cooperation within and between competent authorities, especially in relation to issues which involve joint action or cooperation between different services within a competent authority or between different competent authorities. Those arrangements should also contribute to ensuring the quality, impartiality, consistency and effectiveness of official controls. In particular, information should be provided on the general measures to manage the relationship between the different competent authorities responsible for different sub-sectors or different stages of the production chain and on the arrangements to ensure efficient and effective cooperation where competence is conferred on, or shared with regional and/or, local competent authorities.

National control plans should describe:

1. (a)

   the arrangements to ensure effective and efficient cooperation and coordination of activities within a competent authority, between two or more competent authorities involved in the same sector, and in particular where a Member State confers competence to carry out official controls on an authority other than a central competent authority between the relevant central, regional and local authorities, as laid down in Article 4(3) and Article 5 of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 and Article 2(1)(g) of Directive 2000/29/EC; for example, formal arrangements for coordination of activities and ensuring consistency of officials controls such as meetings, joint committees and liaison groups and requirements for joint agreements or actions;

2. (b)

   shared training initiatives for staff involved in official controls, such as technical skills, supervision of control services, quality management and auditing, if applicable;

3. (c)

   sharing access to laboratory and diagnostic facilities if applicable;

4. (d)

   management and use of shared national databases if applicable;

5. (e)

   the areas where coordination and communication between competent authorities is an important issue, including:

   1. (i)

      the measures in place to ensure the effective operation of such activity so there is no breakdown in official controls;

   2. (ii)

      how the necessary information is exchanged between competent authorities to ensure the continuity and consistency of official controls and to enable traceability systems to operate effectively.