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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(77)98
Vol.1977/0041

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(77 )98final
Brussels ,22nd .March 1977
Proposal fora
COUNCIL DECISION
ontheequivalence ofseed potatoes produced inthird countries
(submitted totheCouncil "bytheCommission )
COM(77 )98final

Explanatory memorandum
Forseveral years ,Italy hasimported seed potatoes from Canada .
Inacceptance with Council Directive 66/403/EEConthemarketing ofseed
potatoes harvested inthird countries andintended formarketing within
theCommunity ,itisnecessary todeterminate theequivalence ofsuch seed
potatoes .
Inthepast Member States were free to'take equivalence decisions themselves ;
this right wasduetoexpire on1stJuly 1975 .ByDirective 76/30^/EEC,the
Council extended theperiod ofthevalidity ofequivalences established
nationally until 31December 197F ,inorder topermit Community Authorities
toexamine ,particularly forCanada ,theconditions ofseed potato production
andtomake adecision onpossible equivalence forthis Country .
Nowenquiries toevaluate acommunity equivalence ofseed potatoes harvested
inCanada have been carried out with the result that itseems advisable to
grant anequivalence tothis Country ,limiting however theeffect ofthis
equivalence solely toItaly forplant health reasons .
Theenclose Draft Proposal oftheCommission takes this conclusion into
account .

784/VI/77-E
Council Decision of ontheequivalence ofseed ,potatoes produced
inthird countries
THECOUNCIL OPTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard ,totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economio Community ,
Having regard ,toCouncil Directive 66/403/EECof14June 1966onthemarketing
ofseed potatoes (l),aslast amended byDirective 76/307/EEC (2),andin
particular Artiole 150)thereof ,
Having regard totheproposal from theCommission ,
Whereas there arerules inCanada providing foravarietal andqualitative
control ofseed potatoes ;whereas examination ofthose rules andthemanner in
which they areapplied hasshown that theconditions governing seed potatoes
harvested andcontrolled inthat country asregards their characteristics ,and
thearrangements fortheir inspection ,forensuring their identity ,formarking
andforcontrol afford the same assurances astheconditions andarrangements
applicable toseed potatoes harvested andcontrolled within theCommunity ;
Whereas ,however ,this determination ofequivalence does noteliminate therisk
that certain potato diseases which areknown inCanada andarenotwidespread
intheCommunity maybeintroduced ,into thelatter aslong asthecampaign of
eradication ofthese diseases inCanada hasnotbeen completely effective ;
Whereas ,having regard toArticles 13(2)and20ofthesaid Directive ,the
effects ofthedetermination ofequivalence should belimited ,tothose territories
oftheCommunity where experience over many years ,including that under thesystem
ofnational equivalence ,hasshown that seed potatoes produced inCanada have not
created problems fortheprotection ofplant health under thespecific ecological
conditions ofthese territories ;
Whereas this Decision does notprevent Community findings from being revoked
northeperiod oftheir validity from notbeing extended ifitbecomes apparent
that theconditions onwhich such findings arebased arenotorarenolonger
satisfied ;
(1)OJNo125,11.7.1966 ,p.2320/66
(2)OJNoL72,18.3.1976 ,p.16

784/VI/77-E
-2-
Whereas therefore further practical information onseed potatoes produced
inCanada should beobtained bygrowing andchecking samples ofsuch seed
aspart ofcomparative Community tests ,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION l
Article 1
Itishereby declared that ,provided that thespecial conditions laid down
intheAnnex hereto aresatisfied ,theseed potatoes which areharvested in
thecountry specified intheAnnex andofficially controlled bytheauthority
listed therein andwhich belong tothecategories specified therein ,are
equivalent ,asregards theMember State specified intheAnnex ,toseed
potatoes ofcorresponding categories harvested within theCommunity andcomply
with Directive 66/403/EEC.
Article 2
This Decision shall apply from 1January 1977 to20June 1978-
Article 3
This Decision isaddressed totheMember States .

78VVI /77-E
ANNEX
Categories
Special
conditions Country
•Service Member State Inthe country
concernedInthe
Community
1 2 3 k 5 6
Canada Department of
Agriculture
Plant Protectio
Division
OttawaItaly
1Foundation
CertifiedBasic
seed
potatoes
Certified
seed po-
tatoes1,2,J,k%
5,6,7,δ
1,2»3,V,
5*6,7♦S

Seed potatoes areharvested inthe following regions :
New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island .
Seed potatoes shall beofficially certified and their containers officially
marked andsealed inaccordance with national provisions .Seed potatoes nnd
thedetails onthelabel shall meet atleast therequirements ofCommunity
rules andconform totheEuropean standard for seed potatoes recommended
bytheWorking Party onStandardization ofPerishable Foodstuffs ofthe
Economic Commission for Europe .
Field inspection shall becarried outbyState authorities orbyanyle^al
person whether governed bypublic orbyprivate law ,acting under the
responsibility ofsuch authorities ,provided that such person derives no
private gain from the result oftheinspection .
Anychemical treatment ofthe seed potatoes shall benoted either onthe
official label oronaspecial label and onthecontainer orinside it.
The colour t>fthe label shall be :
-white for basic seed potatoes ;
-blue forcertified seed potatoes .
/
/
The label states the region ofproduction .
The label states that EEC rules and standards are satisfied nnd particularly
ailtolerance ^orSpin(netuber andCorynebacterium sepedonicum .
Allinformation shall begiven inatleast one oftheofficial lanr-ua^es
oftheEuropean Communities .