2001/219/EC: Commission Decision of 12 March 2001 on temporary emergency measures in respect of wood packing comprised in whole or in part of non-manufactured coniferous wood originating in Canada, China, Japan and the United States of America (notified under document number C(2001) 694)

Commission Decision
of 12 March 2001
on temporary emergency measures in respect of wood packing comprised in whole or in part of non-manufactured coniferous wood originating in Canada, China, Japan and the United States of America
(notified under document number C(2001) 694)
(2001/219/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 on protective measures against the introduction into the Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products and against their spread within the Community(1), and in particular Article 16(3) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Where a Member State considers that there is an imminent danger of the introduction into its territory of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner et Buhrer) Nickle et al., the pine wood nematode (PWN), from a non-member country, it shall temporarily take any additional measures necessary to protect itself from that danger.
(2) Finland informed the other Member States and the Commission that in monitoring inspections carried out in 2000 numerous infestations of non-manufactured coniferous wood packing material originating in Canada, Japan and the United States of America with PWN have been found. Moreover, infestations of non-manufactured coniferous wood packing material originating in Canada and China were also reported by Sweden and France respectively.
(3) Finland took official emergency measures stipulating that as of 31 May 2000, packing material consisting of wood of conifers, except Thuja L., but including wood to support or wedge cargo, originating in non-member countries where PWN is known to occur (namely Canada, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Taiwan and the United States of America), must, when entering into Finland, be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate certifying that the wood has undergone one of the treatments specified in the Finnish emergency measures.
(4) Directive 2000/29/EC currently requires that, in order to protect the Community from the introduction of PWN, non-manufactured coniferous wood originating in non-member countries where the nematode is found must be free of bark and grub holes, and have a moisture content of less than 20 %. The abovementioned information from Finland, France and Sweden shows that these measures are not sufficient to protect the Community adequately against the introduction of PWN when such wood is imported from Canada, China, Japan and the United States of America. Therefore temporary emergency measures are necessary.
(5) These emergency measures should apply to imports of non-manufactured wood packing obtained in whole or in part of coniferous wood, originating in Canada, China, Japan and the United States of America, into the Community. However, it is not necessary to apply such measures to wood of Thuja L., because Thuja L. is not susceptible to PWN.
(6) The emergency measures should be applied in two steps. In the first step, the Member States should immediately take any appropriate measures for official monitoring of the said wood in order to further reduce the risk of introduction into or spread within the Community of PWN. This would enable the countries where the nematode is known to occur, to organise treatment of wood packing, comprised in whole or in part of non-manufactured coniferous wood, except that of Thuja L., in compliance with the requirements of this Decision as the second step.
(7) Measures to be taken in cases of non-compliance should be specified.
(8) If it becomes apparent that the emergency measures referred to in the present Decision are not sufficient to prevent the entry of Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner et Buhrer) Nickle et al., or have not been complied with, more stringent or alternative measures should be envisaged.
(9) The effect of the emergency measures should be assessed continually until 15 June 2002, in particular on the basis of information to be provided by Member States. Possible subsequent measures will be considered in the light of the results of that assessment.
(10) The above emergency measures will also be reviewed in the light of the outcome of discussions currently ongoing in respect of the development of a FAO International Standard on "Guidelines for regulating non-manufactured wood packing in use for the transport of commodities."
(11) The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plant Health,