26.7.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC201/31
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDirectiveamendingDirective77/93/EEConprotective
measuresagainsttheintroductionintotheCommunityoforganismsharmfultoplantsor
plantproductsandagainsttheirspreadwithintheCommunity(*)
(93/C201/11)
On14April1993theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforAgricultureandFisheries,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingtheCom­
mitteesworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon6May1993.TheRapporteurwas
MrPricolo.
Atits306thPlenarySession(meetingof26May1993),theEconomicandSocialCommittee
unanimouslyadoptedthefollowingOpinion.
1.Introduction 2.Generalcomments
1.1.CouncilDirective77/93/EECof21December
1976laiddownphytosanitaryarrangementswithinthe
Community .2.1.TheCommitteeconsidersthattheCommission
proposalisinkeepingwiththeCouncilDecisionofJune
1991tobringtheCanaryIslandsunderCommunity
policies,andalsomeetstheneedtopreventexceptions
orderogationswhichcouldthreatenthephytosanitary
barrieraroundtheECnowthattheinternalmarketis
inplace.1.2.ThisbasicDirective—subsequentlyamended
andsupplemented byfurtherDirectives—contains
implementingprovisionsformeasurestoprotect
againsttheintroductionandspreadwithintheCom­
munityoforganismsharmfultoplantsorplantprod­
ucts. 2.2.TheCommitteealsoendorsestheCommission's
viewthatsmallquantitiesofplantsintendedforcon­
sumptionduringintra-ECtransportshouldbeexempt
fromthephytosanitarybanlaiddowninDirective77/
93/EEC.1.3.Article1(2)excludedtheCanaryIslandsfrom
thescopeoftheDirective.
2.2.1.However,theCommitteerecommendsthatin
thesecasestoo,appropriatemeasuresshouldbetaken
topreventanyriskofharmfulorganismsspreading.1.4.ThiswasbecauseCommunitypoliciesingen­
eral—andinparticularthecommonagriculturalpolicy
(CAP)andtherulesgoverningagriculturalpro­
duction—couldnotbefullyappliedtotheCanary
Islandsbecauseofthespecialcircumstancesofthe
islandsandhencetheirspecialpositionasregardsplant
health. 2.3.Asregardsdirecttransportbetweentwoplaces
withintheECwhichinvolvescrossingtheterritoryofa
thirdcountry,exemptionfromthebanmaybeallowed
providedthattheplantsareinclosed,sealedpackaging
andthegoodsarenotstored,eventemporarily,inthe
territoryofthethirdcountry.1.5.However,theexclusioncouldnotbepermanent .
Accordingly ,CouncilRegulation (EEC)No1911/91of
26June1991providedfortheintegrationoftheCanary
IslandsintotheEC'scustomsterritoryandcommon
policies.CouncilDecision91/314/EEC,takenonthe
samedate,establishedthePoseicanprogrammedesign­
edtooffsettheislands'remoteandinsularsituation.3.Specificcomments
1.6.ThepurposeofthepresentCommissionpro­
posalistoliftthederogationhithertoenjoyedbythe
CanaryIslandsandbringthemundertheECphytosani­
tarysystem.3.1.Onthebasisoftheabove,theCommitteesug­
gestsaddingthefollowingphraseattheendofArticle
1(2),1(3)and1(4):
'Inordertopreventthisrisk,theCommission ,using
theStandingCommitteeonPlantHealthprocedure,
willadoptappropriatemonitoringmeasures.'(*)OJNoC97,6.4.1993,p.13.

26.7.93NoC201/32 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
3.1.1.TheCommitteeconsidersthattheplanthealth
committeeshouldadoptpreventivemeasurestodeal
withoutbreaks,inthirdcountriesborderingtheCom­
munity,ofplantdiseasesthatareliabletohaveadverse
effectsonECproduction.
3.2.Thefollowingshouldbeaddedtothefirstindent
ofArticlel(5)(b):
'providedsuchproductsaretransportedinclosed
sealedpackagingandarenotstored,evenifonlytemporarily,inthethirdcountry.
3.3.TheCommitteeconsidersthattheproposeddate
of1June1993forMemberStatestocomplywiththe
Directiveisunrealistic.
3.3.1.Bearinginmindthetimeneededforthe
CounciltoapprovetheDirectiveandforMemberStates
tothenadopttheirprovisions,theCommitteethinks
thatthewords'by1June1993'[Article2(1)]shouldbe
replacedby'withinsixmonthsoftheadoptionofthe
Directive'.
DoneatBrussels,26May1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN