CELEX: 51988PC0373
Language: en
Date: 1988-06-30
Title: Proposal for a COUNCIL DECISION amending Commission Decision 88/176/EEC approving derogations provided for by Greece, Italy and Portugal from certain provisions of Council Directive 77/93/EEC in respect of seed potatoes originating in Canada (presented by the Commission)

ARCHIVES HISTORIQUES
DE LA COMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEE DES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM (88) 373
Vol. 1988/0133
 ---pagebreak--- Disclaimer
Conformément au règlement (CEE, Euratom) n° 354/83 du Conseil du 1er février 1983 concernant
l'ouverture au public des archives historiques de la Communauté économique européenne et de
la Communauté européenne de l'énergie atomique (JO L 43 du 15.2.1983, p. 1) modifié en dernier
lieu par le règlement (UE) 2015/496 du Conseil du 17 mars 2015 (JO L79 du 25. 3.2015, p. 1), ce
dossier est ouvert au public. Le cas échéant, les documents classifiés présents dans ce dossier
ont été déclassifiés conformément à l'article 5 dudit règlement ou sont considérés déclassifiés
conformément aux articles 26(3) et 59(2) de la décision (UE, Euratom) 2015/444 de la
Commission du 13 mars 2015 concernant les règles de sécurité aux fins de la protection des
informations classifiées de l'Union européenne.
In accordance with Council Regulation (EEC, Euratom) No 354/83 of 1 February 1983 concerning
the opening to the public of the historical archives of the European Economic Community and the
European Atomic Energy Community (OJ L 43, 15.2.1983, p. 1), as last amended by Council
Regulation (EU) 2015/496 of 17 March 2015 (OJ L 79, 27.3.2015, p. 1), this file is open to the
public. Where necessary, classified documents in this file have been declassified in conformity
with Article 5 of the aforementioned regulation or are considered declassified in conformity with
Articles (26.3) and 59(2) of the Commission Decision (EU, Euratom) 2015/444 of 13 March 2015
on the security rules for protecting EU classified information.
In Übereinstimmung mit der Verordnung (EWG, Euratom) Nr. 354/83 des Rates vom 1. Februar
1983 über die Freigabe der historischen Archive der Europäischen Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft und
der Europäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI. L 43 vom 15.2.1983, S. 1), zuletzt geändert durch die
Verordnung (EU) Nr. 2015/496 vom 17. März 2015 (ABI. L 79 vom 25.3.2015, S. 1), ist dieser Akt
der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich. Soweit erforderlich, wurden die Verschlusssachen in diesem Akt in
Übereinstimmung mit Artikel 5 der genannten Verordnung freigegeben; beziehungsweise werden
sie auf Grundlage von Artikel 26(3) und 59(2) der Entscheidung der Kommission (EU, Euratom)
2015/444 vom      13.   März 2015     über die   Sicherheitsvorschriften für den Schutz von  EU-
Verschlusssachen als herabgestuft angesehen.
 ---pagebreak--- .1
   COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
                                                  COM(88 ) 373 final
                                                  Brussels , 30 June 1988
                                         Proposai for a
                                        COUNCIL DECISION
     amending Commission Decision 88 / 176 / EEC approving derogations provided for
     by Greece , Italy and Portugal from certain provisions of Council Directive
             77 / 93 / EEC in respect of seed potatoes originating in Canada
                                ( presented by the Commission )
     ( Only the Greek , Italian and Portuguese texts are authentic )
 ---pagebreak---                                                                          <f o! j - 3 ? 3
                                EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
For plant health reasons the importation of seed potatoes into the Community
from Canada is in principle prohibited .
Commission Decision 88/ 176/ EEC ( 1 ) of 9 February 1988 approved derogations
provided by Greece , Italy and Portugal from the prohibition .
These Member States were able to import Canadian seed potatoes under certain
specified conditions ensuring that the plant health risk was controlled .
The Commission proposal for a Council Decision amending the aforementioned
Commission Decision would , exceptionally , permit one further multiplication of
50 tonnes of Canadian Sebago seed potatoes in Greece , under further specified
conditions , in order to compensate for the failure of the Greek maintenance
programme for this variety due to unfavourable climatic conditions in 1987 .
A similar draft for a Commission Decision received no opinion from the
Standing Committee on Plant Flealth . Taking into account that the potatoes will
be harvested in June 1988 and will have to be certified as seed potatoes by
that time , the Commission 's proposal for a Council Decision is made in
implementation of the urgency procedure laid down in Article 17(4 ) of
Directive 77 / 93/ EEC on protective measures against the introduction into the
Member States of organisms harmful to plants or plant products ( 2 ) as last
amended by Directive 88/272 / EEC ( 3 ) .
Following this procedure the Council may adopt the measures proposed by a
qualified majority or reject them by a simple majority within a period of
fifteen days .
(1)   0J No L 80 , 25.3.1988 , p. 48
(2)   0J No L 26 , 31.1.1977 , p. 20
(3)   0J No L 166 , 4.5.1988 , p. 19
 ---pagebreak---                                              2
                                      Proposai for a
                                     COUNCIL     DECISION
amending Commission Decision 88 / 176/ EEC approving derogations provided for by
Greece , Italy and Portugal from certain provisions of Council Directive
77/93/ EEC in respect of seed potatoes originating in Canada
TV* COUNCIL Of THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community ,
Having regard to Council Directive 77 / 93 / EEC of 21 December 1976 on protective
measures against the introduction into the Member States of organisms harmful
to plants or plant products ( 1 ), as last amended by Directive 88 / 272 / EEC ( 2 ),
and in particular Article 14(2 ), Article 17 and Annex IV , part A(24 ) thereof ,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ,
Whereas , pursuant to Directive 77 /93/ EEC , potato tubers originating in the
American continent may not , in principle , be brought into the Community unless
their facultv of germination has been suppressed , in view of the risk of the
introduction of potato spindle tuber viroid , and unless - if they originate in
a country where Cory nebacteri urn sepedonicum is known to occur - provisions
recognized as equivalent to the Community provisions on combating this harmful
organism have been complied with in the country of origin ;
Whereas , nevertheless , Article 14(1 ) ( c ) ( iii ) of the abovementioned Directive
permits Member States to provide for derogations with regard to the rule
relating to the suppression of the faculty of germination , provided that there
is no risk of harmful organisms spreading ; whereas these derogations are
subject to approval , under certain conditions , in accordance with Article
14(2 ) and must also comply with the conditions laid down in Annex IV part
A(24 ) ;
(1)      OJ No L 26 , 31.1.1977 , p. 20
(2)      0J No L 116 , 4.5.1988 , p. 19
 ---pagebreak---                                                 3
   Whereas by Decision 88/ 176/ EEC ( 3 ) the Commission gave approval , under
   certain conditions providing for appropriate phytosanitary safeguards , to
   Greece , Italy and Portugal to provide for derogations in respect of seed
   potatoes of the varieties Kennebec and Sebago originating in Canada ;
   Whereas one of the aforementioned conditions laid down that potatoes grown
   from seed potatoes imported pursuant to that Decision shall not be certified
   as seed potatoes ;
   Whereas it appears that unfavourable climatic conditions have destroyed the
   Greek maintenance programme established in Naxos for the potato variety
   Sebago ; whereas as a consequence there will be a shortage of seed potatoes
   of this variety in Greece for the second potato growing season of 1988 ;
   Whereas this shortage would be overcome if part of the seed potatoes of the
   variety Sebago imported into Greece pursuant to the aforesaid Decision could
   be used to further produce seed potatoes to be officially certified as such
   under the provisions of Council Directive 66/ 403/ EEC ( 4 ) , as last amended by
   Directive 87 / 374 / EEC ( 5 );
   Whereas the small quantity of potatoes involved would seem to make the related
   plant health risk acceptable , provided that certain alternative safeguards are
   taken ;
   Whereas therefore authorization should be given to Greece to derogate from the
   said condition , provided that the alternative safeguards are satisfied ;
   Whereas the Standing Committee on Plant Health has not delivered an opinion
„ within the time limit set by its Chairman ,
 ( HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION :
   (3)     OJ No L 80 , 25.3.1988 , p . 48
   (4)     0J No 125 , 11.7.1966 , p . 2320 /66
   (5)     OJ No L 197 , 18.7.1987 , p . 36
 ---pagebreak---                                    Artide 1
Decision 88 / 176 / EEC is hereby amended as follows :
The following paragraph is added to Article 1 :
"3 .    Bv wav of derogation from the provisions laid down in the first part of
        paragraph 2(g ) and to the extent necessary to overcome an
        unforeseeable shortage in the supply of seed potatoes of the
        variety Sebago caused by unfavourable climatic conditions , Greece
        may permit         certification as seed potatoes of potatoes grown
        from seed potatoes of the variety Sebago imported pursuant to
        this Decision , provided that the following alternative safeguards
        are satisfied :
        - the total amount of seed potatoes used for the production of
          further seed potatoes shall not exceed 50 tonnes ;
        - seed         potatoes belonging to different original lots shall be
          planted separately ;
        - before planting , samples shall be taken officially from each of
          such lots , comprising 2 % of the tubers in each lot ;
        - after harvesting , samples shall be drawn officially from the
          progeny of each of the aforementioned lots , comprising 1 % of
          the tubers , up to 1000 tubers ;
        - the progeny shall be kept separate per lot in all operations
          until the final certification under Directive 66/ 403/ EEC ;
        - samples         taken pursuant the third and fourth indent above
          shall be examined by official laboratories in order to detect
          any presence of Corynebacterium sepedonicum , using the Angers
          IF-method ;
        - official         certification as seed potatoes shall be granted
          only if it has been established by the scientists involved that
          the examinations referred to in(c ) did not give rise to
          suspicions or to the detection of the presence of
          Corynebacterium sepedonicum ;
        - the official label issued pursuant the provisions of
          Directive 66 / 403 / EEC shall bear the following additional
          information : " Derived from CDN seed potatoes ";
 ---pagebreak---                                            5
               -  distribution       of these seed potatoes shall be restricted to
                  farms which shall be subjected to an official monitoring for
                  at least, five years thereafter , for the presence of
                  Corynebacteri urn sepedonicum in their production ;
               -  potatoes grown from such seed potatoes shall not be certified
                  as seed potatoes ;
               -  the provisions of paragraph 2(h ) shall apply in respect of
                  such seed potatoes ;
               - the quantity of seed potatoes planted under this derogation , the
                  quantity of seed potatoes officially certified as a progeny
                  thereof , the results of the official examination , the number
                  of farms using these seed potatoes , and their geographical
                  distribution and the results of the aforementioned official
                  monitoring shall be communicated to the Commission.”
2.    In the first sentence of Article 3 , " Article 1 " is replaced by " Article 1(1 )
      and ( 2 )".
                                       Artiçle_2
This Decision is addressed to the Hellenic Republic ,       the Italian Republic
and     the Portuguese Republic .
Done at                                                  For the Council