PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL DIRECTIVE AMENDING DIRECTIVE 66/403/EEC ON THE MARKETING OF SEED POTATOES
Date: 1990-04-18
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: marketing standard, potato, seedling

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) 

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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. 

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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. 

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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: 

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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 

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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. 

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ISSN 02S4-1475 

COM(90) 134 final 

DOCUMENTS 

EN 

03  il 

Catalogue number : CB-CO-90-152-EN-C 

ISBN 92-77-59369-5 

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