2001/664/EC: Commission Decision of 16 August 2001 amending Decision 96/301/EC authorising Member States temporarily to take emergency measures against the dissemination of Pseudomonas solanacearum (Smith) Smith as regards Egypt (notified under document number C(2001) 2542)
Date: 2001-08-16
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Egypt, health certificate, parasitology, plant disease, plant health control, potato

31.8.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 233/49

COMMISSION DECISION

of 16 August 2001

amending Decision 96/301/EC authorising Member States temporarily to take emergency measures
against the dissemination of Pseudomonas solanacearum (Smith) Smith as regards Egypt

(notified under document number C(2001) 2542)

(2001/664/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

3 April 1999 and the beginning of the 1999/2000
import season.

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

Having regard to Council Directive 2000/29/EC of 8 May 2000
the introduction into the
on protective measures against
Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products
and against
their spread within the Community (1), as last
amended by Directive 2001/33/EC (2), and in particular Article
16(3) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Where a Member State considers that there is an immi-
nent danger of the introduction into its territory of
Pseudomonas solanacearum (Smith) Smith, the cause of
potato brown rot,
it
should be able to take temporarily any additional meas-
ures necessary to protect itself from that danger.

from a non-member country,

(2)

(3)

(4)

In 1996, on the basis of continued interceptions of
Pseudomonas
solanacearum (Smith) Smith in potatoes
originating in Egypt, several Member States (France,
Finland, Spain and Denmark) adopted measures to
implement a ban on potatoes originating in Egypt, with
a view to ensuring more efficient protection against the
introduction of Pseudomonas solanacearum (Smith) Smith
from Egypt into their respective territories.

The Commission, by Decisions 96/301/EC (3), 98/
105/EC (4) and 98/503/EC (5), required Member States to
take additional measures temporarily against the dissem-
ination of Pseudomonas solanacearum (Smith) Smith as
regards Egypt: the import into the Community of pota-
toes originating in Egypt was banned except where the
potatoes originated in pest-free areas established in
accordance with the FAO international standard for
phytosanitary measures part 4: pest surveillance —
requirements of the establishments of pest-free area.

solanacearum (Smith)

Cases of Pseudomonas
Smith
continued to be found in imports of potatoes originating
in Egypt during 1998/1999, and as a consequence the
import into Community territory of tubers of Solanum
tuberosum L. originating in Egypt was prohibited between

(1) OJ L 169, 10.7.2000, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 127, 9.5.2001, p. 42.
(3) OJ L 115, 9.5.1996, p. 47.
(4) OJ L 25, 31.1.1998, p. 101.
(5) OJ L 225, 12.8.1998, p. 34.

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

The situation was then reassessed. The Commission
considered it appropriate, by Decision 1999/842/EC (6)
to remove the prohibition on the import of potatoes
from officially approved ‘pest-free areas’ for the 1999/
2000 import season.

During the 1999/2000 season, the situation improved
significantly and the Commission by Decision 2000/
568/EC (7), again permitted for the 2000/2001 import
season, the entry into Community territory of tubers of
Solanum tuberosum L. which originate in pest-free areas
approved in Egypt in accordance with the said FAO
international standard.

However, during the 2000/2001 season, a number of
interception of Pseudomonas solanacearum (Smith) Smith
were recorded and as a consequence of the provisions of
Decision 2000/568/EC the import
into Community
territory of tubers of Solanum tuberosum L. originating in
Egypt was prohibited between 5 May 2001 and the
beginning of the 2001/2002 import season.

The situation was again reassessed. Egypt informed the
Commission that administrative measures had been
strengthened to apply a strict control system to ensure
and maintain freedom within ‘approved pest-free areas’
from the above pathogen and confirmed that measures
were taken against exporters who violate Egyptian
instructions on the export of potatoes destined for the
European Union. Moreover Egypt submitted a detailed
contingency plan explaining measures that are applied
in
when brown rot
consignments of potatoes originating in Egypt on
inspection at entry into the European Union and notified
to Egypt.

is found within Egypt and/or

In the light of the Egyptian information, it should be
possible to allow for the 2001/2002 import season, the
entry into Community territory of Solanum tuberosum L.
which originate in Egypt from pest-free areas which
have been approved in Egypt in accordance with the aid
FAO international standard.

(6) OJ L 326, 18.12.1999, p. 68.
(7) OJ L 238, 22.9.2000, p. 59.

L 233/50

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

31.8.2001

(10)

(11)

(12)

(13)

The Commission should ensure that Egypt makes avail-
able all technical
information in relation to surveying
and monitoring necessary for the approval of such ‘pest-
free areas’ in accordance with the said FAO international
standard in order to enable the Commission to carry out
the necessary assessment for its aforesaid action. Such
technical information should be sufficiently detailed to
give evidence that the specific risk factors both in the
delta and in the desert region are sufficiently addressed
while establishing the approved pest-free areas in Egypt.

the emergency measures

The effects of
should be
assessed continually in the 2001/2002 import season.
Possible consequences will be considered if it is estab-
lished that the conditions laid down in this Decision
have not ben complied with.

It is necessary to clarify the provision of point 1(c), fifth
indent, of the Annex to Decision 96/301/EC, in order to
indicate that sampling refers to basin or village.

The measures provided for in this Decision are in
accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee
on Plant Health,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

4. In Article 4,

‘30 September 2001’

is replaced by ‘30

September 2002’.

5. The Annex is amended as follows:

(a) in point 1(c), third indent,

‘2000/2001’ is replaced by
‘2001/2002’ and ‘1 December 2000’ is replaced by ‘1
December 2001’;

(b) in point 1(c), fifth indent, ‘at least one sample per area
as defined in (a)’ is replaced by ‘at least one sample per
basin or village’;

(c) in point 1(c), last indent, ‘1 December 2000’ is replaced

by ‘1 December 2001’.

Article 2

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Article 1

Done at Brussels, 16 August 2001.

Decision 96/301/EC is hereby amended as follows:

1. In Article 1a,

‘2000/2001’

is replaced by ‘2001/2002’.

2. In Article 1b,

‘2000/2001’

is replaced by ‘2001/2002’.

3. In Article 2,

‘30 August 2001’ is replaced by ‘31 August

2002’.

For the Commission

David BYRNE

Member of the Commission