(7)For products of the hops sector imported from third countries, an attestation of equivalence certifies that they respect the quality standards equivalent to those adopted for like products harvested within the Union or made from such products. It is important that Member States carry out controls to ensure that imported products of the hops sector meet the criteria laid down in the attestation of equivalence and inform the Commission of any findings which would necessitate the removal of the issuing competent authority from the list of third country authorities that are authorised to issue such attestations.