Frequency of Commission controls in third countries

The frequency of Commission controls in third countries referred to in Article 120 shall be determined on the basis of the following criteria:
(a)
a risk assessment of the animals and goods exported to the Union from the third country concerned;
(b)
the rules referred to in Article 1(2);
(c)
the volume and nature of animals and goods entering the Union from the third country concerned;
(d)
the outcome of controls already performed by the Commission experts or by other inspection bodies;
(e)
the outcome of official controls on animals and goods entering the Union from the third country concerned and of any other official controls that competent authorities of Member States have performed;
(f)
information received from the EFSA or similar bodies;
(g)
information received from internationally recognised bodies such as:
(i)
the World Health Organization;
(ii)
the Codex Alimentarius Commission;
(iii)
the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE);
(iv)
European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization and any other regional plant protection organisations established under the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC);
(v)
the secretariat of the IPPC;
(vi)
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development;
(vii)
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe;
(viii)
the secretariat of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Biodiversity;
(h)
evidence of emerging disease situations or other circumstances that might result in animals and goods entering the Union from a third country presenting health or environmental risks or a risk of fraudulent or deceptive practices;
(i)
the need to investigate or respond to emergency situations in individual third countries.