93/359/EEC: Commission Decision of 28 May 1993 authorizing the Member States to provide for derogations from certain provisions of Council Directive 77/93/EEC in respect of wood of Thuja L., originating in the United States of America

COMMISSION DECISION of 28 May 1993 authorizing the Member States to provide for derogations from certain provisions of Council Directive 77/93/EEC in respect of wood of Thuja L., originating in the United States of America
(93/359/EEC)THE  COMMISSION 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 Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products and against their spread within the Community (1), as last amended by  Directive 93/19/EEC (2), and in particular the third indent of Article 14 (3) thereof,
Having regard to the requests made by the Member States,
Whereas under the provisions of Directive 77/93/EEC, wood of Thuja L., including that which has not kept its natural round surface, originating in Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the United States of America may not be introduced into the  Community, unless it is accompanied by the certificates prescribed in Articles 7 or 8 of the said Directive, and unless it is debarked and free from grub holes caused by the genus Monochamus (non-European) spp.;
Whereas wood of Thuja L. originating in the United States of America is currently introduced into the Community; whereas in this case, phytosanitary certificates are not generally issued in that country;
Whereas the Commission has established, on the basis of the information supplied by the United States of America and collected in that country during a mission carried out in 1990, that an officially approved and monitored programme of issuing  'certificates of debarking and grub hole control' has been set up to ensure proper debarking and to reduce the risk from harmful organisms; whereas the risk of spreading harmful organisms is reduced provided that the wood is accompanied by a  'Certificate of Debarking and Grub Hole Control' issued under that programme;
Whereas the Commission will ensure that the United States of America makes available all technical information necessary to assess the functioning of the Debarking and Grub Hole Control Certificate programme;
Whereas this Decision should be reviewed by 1 April 1995 at the latest;
Whereas the measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plant Health,