CZECHS OBJECT TO THE LACEY ACT AMENDMENTS

UNCLAS PRAGUE 000768 SIPDIS STATE FOR OES/ENRC MARK JOHNSEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV EAID EAGR ETRD EINV BTIO EZ SUBJECT: CZECHS OBJECT TO THE LACEY ACT AMENDMENTS REF: STATE 126654 ¶1. On December 2, Post delivered reftel demarche to the Ministry of Industry and Trade's Head of Department of EU Relations to Non-EU Countries Petr Kulovany. Kulovany noted that he understood the purpose of the Lacey Act amendments but said that the Czech Republic considers them as a potentially significant barrier for European exports to the U.S. since the provision of the required information would unduly burden small and medium enterprises. Kulovany also doubted that these amendments be compatible with WTO rules. In general, the Czechs support the EU Commission's efforts to find a way to mitigate the negative impact of these amendments on EU companies. In particular, the Czechs request that the following items be excluded from the Act as common cultivars and common food crops: 0602 90 other live plants, young plants and mushroom spawn, 1207 91 poppy seeds, 1210 10 hop cones (either ground, powdered or in the form of pellets),1211 90 plants, parts of plants, seeds of a kind used primarily in perfumery, pharmacy or for similar purposes, 1302 19 vegetable saps and extracts (modified and unmodified),1302 20 pectic substances, pectinates and pectates. Graber