COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
C0MC90) 134 final 
Brussels, 18 April 1990 
Proposal for a 
COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 
amending Directive 66/403/EEC on the marketing of seed potatoes 
(presented by the Commission) 
- 2 -
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
1. Council Directive 66/403/EEC on the marketing of seed potatoes 
lays down Community standards for seed potatoes marketed 
within the Community. As a result of modern advanoes in 
propagation techniques, however, seed potatoes are now being 
produced, in particular by mioropropagation, for which these 
standards are no longer appropriate. The first element of this 
proposal would therefore add to the Directive provision for a 
Community procedure to determine what marketing standards 
should apply to seed potatoes produced by micropropagation. 
2. Under the Community plant health regime, the importation of 
seed potatoes into the Community from Canada and Poland is in 
principle prohibited. The Commission has recently adopted two 
Decisions approving derogations from that prohibition. The 
derogations authorise the importation of seed potatoes of 
certain varieties from Canada and Poland into Greeoe, Italy 
and Portugal, subject to certain conditions. However, to be 
fully effective these plant health derogations need to be 
supplemented by seed equivalence measures under the seed 
potato marketing Directive. There is at present no Community 
determination of the equivalence of seed potatoes produced in 
third countries, but Member States were authorized to extend 
until 31 Maroh 1989 the validity of seed equivalence decisions 
taken at national level. The seoond element of this proposal 
would authorize Member States to extend the validity of these 
national decisions until 31 March 1990, to cover shipping of 
seed potatoes under the plant health derogations referred to 
above. At the same time, the proposal would institute a 
Community procedure for future extensions of this date. 
3. The proposal would have little or no Impact on small or 
medium-sized enterprises. 
- 3 -
Proposal for a 
COUNCIL DIRECTIVE 
amending Directive 66/403/EEC on the marketing of seed potatoes 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic 
Community, and in particular Article 43 thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1), 
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (2), 
Whereas Council Directive 66/403/EEC (3), as last amended by Directive 
89/366/EEC (4), lays down Community rules for seed potatoes marketed 
within the Community; 
Whereas, In the light of modern advances In propagation techniques, it 
is appropriate to lay down a Community procedure for the establishment 
of specific rules applicable to the marketing of seed potatoes produced 
by techniques involving micro-propagation; 
(1) OJ No C ... 
(2) OJ No C ... 
(3) OJ No 125, 11.7.1966, p. 2320/66. 
(4) OJ No L 159, 10.6.1989, p. 59. 
4 -
Whereas Directive 66/403/EEC also provides in Article 15(2) that, after 
certain dates, Member States may no longer determine for themselves 
whether seed potatoes harvested in third countries are equivalent to 
seed potatoes harvested in the Community and complying with the 
Directive; 
Whereas, however, since work to establish Community equivalence for all 
the third countries concerned had not been completed, Article 15(2a) of 
Directive 66/403/EEC author Ised Member States to extend until 31 March 
1989 the period of validity of equivalences which they had already 
determined In respect of certain countries not covered by the Community 
equivalences; 
Whereas the said work is still incomplete and the authorisation granted 
to Member States by Article 15(2a) should accordingly be extended; 
Whereas, to expedite Community decision-making in this area, a 
Community procedure should be laid down for future extensions of this 
authorisation, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: 
Article 1 
Directive 66/403/EEC is amended as follows: 
1. The following paragraph is added to Article 3: 
"4. For seed potatoes produced by micro-propagation techniques and 
not meeting the size requirements of this Directive, the 
following may be determined In accordance with the procedure 
laid down In Ar11cIe 19: 
- 5 -
derogations from specific provisions of this Directive, 
the conditions applicable to such seed potatoes, 
the designations applicable to such seed potatoes." 
2. Article 15(2a) is replaced by the following: 
"2a Member States are hereby authorised to extend until 31 March 
1990 the validity of decisions taken in accordance with 
paragraph 2, it being understood that these decisions may only 
be used in accordance with Member States' obligations under the 
common rules on plant health laid down by Council Directive 
77/93/EEC. 
The date in the first subparagraph may be extended for third 
countries, in accordance with the procedure laid down in 
Article 19, if the available Information does not permit a 
determination according to paragraph 1 and for as long as It 
does not permit such a determination." 
Article 2 
This Directive is addressed to the Member States. 
Done at For the Council 
- 6 -
Déclaration d/Impact sur les petites et moyennes entreprises 
Les dispositions de la proposition concernant les plants de pomme 
de terre produits par micropropagation prévoient simplement une 
hase Juridique qui permettra À la Commission d'établir des règles 
spécifiques applicables à la commercialisation de tels plants. 
Elles n'auraient aucun impact sur les petites ou moyennes 
entreprises. 
Les dispositions concernant 1'équivalence des plants de pomme de 
terre profiteront aux petites et moyennes entreprises grecques, 
italiennes ou portugaises qui veulent importer des plants de 
pomme de terre du Canada ou de la Pologne, mais la volume des 
échanges sera vraisemblablement très petite. 
Il est considéré que la proposition, vue dans son ensemble, 
n'aura guère ou peu d'impact sur les petites et moyennes 
entreprises. 
- 7 -ISSN 02S4-1475 
COM(90) 134 final 
DOCUMENTS 
EN 03 il 
Catalogue number : CB-CO-90-152-EN-C 
ISBN 92-77-59369-5 
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities 
L-2985 Luxembourg