2002/903/EC: Commission Decision of 14 November 2002 amending Decision 96/301/EC by renewing the Member States' authorisation to take emergency measures against the dissemination of Pseudomonas solanacearum (Smith) Smith as regards Egypt (notified under document number C(2002) 4416)
Date: 2002-11-14
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Egypt, health certificate, parasitology, plant disease, plant health control, potato

L 312/28

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

15.11.2002

COMMISSION DECISION

of 14 November 2002

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

(notified under document number C(2002) 4416)

(2002/903/EC)

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

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
their spread within the Community (1), as last
and against
amended by Directive 2002/36/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 Pseu-
domonas solanacearum (Smith) Smith, the cause of potato
brown rot, from a third country, it should be able to
take temporarily any additional measures necessary to
protect itself from that danger.

(2)

(3)

(4)

In 1996, on the basis of continued interceptions of Pseu-
domonas solanacearum (Smith) Smith in potatoes origi-
nating 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 introduc-
tion of Pseudomonas solanacearum (Smith) Smith from
Egypt into their respective territories.

The Commission responded by adopting Commission
Decision 96/301/EC of 3 May 1996 authorising Member
States temporarily to take additional measures against
the dissemination of Pseudomonas solanacearum (Smith)
Smith as regards Egypt (3).

subsequently

strengthened by
That Decision was
amending Decisions 98/105/EC (4) and 98/503/EC (5)
authorising the Member States temporarily to take emer-
gency measures against the dissemination of Pseudomonas
solanacearum (Smith) Smith as regards Egypt: the import
into the Community of potatoes 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 Establishment
of Pest-Free Area.

(1) OJ L 169, 10.7.2000, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 116, 3.5.2002, p. 16.
(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)

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 the territory of the Community of tubers of
Solanum tuberosum L. originating in Egypt was prohibited
from 3 April 1999 to the beginning of the 1999/2000
import season.

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

During the 1999/2000 season the situation improved
significantly, and the Commission, adopted Decision
2000/568/EC (7)
the 2000/2001
import
the
season,
Community of tubers of Solanum tuberosum L. originating
in pest-free areas of Egypt approved in accordance with
the said FAO International Standard.

reauthorising,
the entry into the territory of

for

However, during the 2000/2001 season, a number of
interceptions of Pseudomonas solanacearum (Smith) Smith
were recorded and the Commission adopted Decision
2000/568/EC prohibiting imports into the territory of
the Community of tubers of Solanum tuberosum L. origi-
nating in Egypt from 5 May 2001 to the beginning of
the 2001/2002 import season.

The situation was again reassessed. Egypt submitted a
detailed contingency plan explaining the measures
applied when brown rot is found in Egypt and/or it is
notified that consignments of potatoes originating in
Egypt have been found to contain brown rot on inspec-
tion at entry in the EU. The Commission therefore
considered it appropriate to remove the prohibition on
the import of potatoes from Egypt for the 2001/2002
import season, which it did by adopting Decision 2001/
664/EC (8).

(10) During the 2001/2002 season, a number of intercep-
tions of Pseudomonas solanacearum (Smith) Smith were
recorded and Egypt itself decided to ban all exports of
Egyptian potatoes to the Community as of 16 April
2002.

(6) OJ L 326, 18.12.1999, p. 68.
(7) OJ L 238, 22.9.2000, p. 59.
(8) OJ L 233, 31.8.2001, p. 49.

15.11.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

L 312/29

(11)

(12)

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 being taken against growers and exporters violating
Egyptian instructions on the growing and export of
potatoes destined to the EU.

In the light of the Egyptian information, it should be
possible to permit, for the 2002/2003 import season,
the entry into the territory of the Community of Solanum
tuberosum L. which originate in pest-free areas of Egypt
approved in accordance with the said FAO International
Standard.

(13) Decision 96/301/EC should therefore be

amended

accordingly.

(14)

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
the
Standard so that
assessment necessary for its action. Such technical infor-
mation should be detailed enough to show that
the
specific risk factors in both the delta and the desert
region are
sufficiently addressed when establishing
approved pest-free areas in Egypt.

the Commission can carry out

(15)

the emergency measures

The effects of
should be
assessed continually over the import season 2002/2003.
Possible consequences will be considered if it is estab-
lished that the conditions laid down in Decision 96/301/
EC have not been complied with.

(16)

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

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Decision 96/301/EC is amended as follows:

1.

2.

3.

4.

in Article 1a, ‘2001/2002’ is replaced by ‘2002/2003’;

in Article 1b, ‘2001/2002’ is replaced by ‘2002/2003’;

in Article 2,
2003’;

‘30 August 2002’ is replaced by ‘30 August

in Article 4,
September 2003’;

‘30 September 2002’

is replaced by ‘30

5. the Annex is amended as follows:
(a) In point 1(c), third indent,

‘2001/2002’ is replaced by
‘2002/2003’ and ‘1 December 2001’ by ‘1 December
2002’;

(b) In point 1(c), last indent, ‘1 December 2001’ is replaced

by ‘1 December 2002’.

This Decision is addressed to the Member States.

Article 2

Done at Brussels, 14 November 2002.

For the Commission

David BYRNE

Member of the Commission