Commission Directive 94/3/EC of 21 January 1994 establishing a procedure for the notification of interception of a consignment or a harmful organism from third countries and presenting an imminent phytosanitary danger

5.2.1994 EN Official Journal of the European Communities L 32/37
COMMISSION DIRECTIVE 94/3/EC
of 21 January 1994
establishing a procedure for the notification of interception of a consignment or a harmful organism from third countries and presenting an imminent phytosanitary danger
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 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 and against their spread within the Community (1), as last amended by Commission Directive 93/110/EEC (2), and in particular Article 15 (4) thereof,
Whereas in the case of consignments of plants, plant products or other objects, or of isolated harmful organisms, from third countries, whether or not listed in Part B of Annex V to Directive 77/93/EEC, which are considered to involve an imminent danger of the introduction or spread of the harmful organisms, whether or not listed in Annexes I and II thereto, the Member State concerned shall inform the Commission and the other Member States of the measures taken to protect the territory of the Community from that danger;
Whereas that information should, on the one hand, assist the Commission in evaluating the scope of the interception and the resulting dangers and, where appropriate, in preparing as fast as possible any measures of protection or eradication in cooperation with the Member State concerned and, on the other hand, help the other Member States to face this danger;
Whereas for that purpose the Commission should establish a network for the notification of new occurrences of harmful organisms in accordance with the first indent of Article 19a (6) of the said Directive;
Whereas it is important that all relevant points of entry into the Community, potentially affected by an interception, as well as the Commission itself, shall immediately be informed of every interception at a point of entry into the Community, of a consignment of plants, plant products or other objects capable of presenting an imminent danger of introducing or spreading harmful organisms;
Whereas the role of the single central authority of each Member State is to coordinate matters relating to plant health under Directive 77/93/EEC;
Whereas such coordination includes the task of dispatching the notifications of interception between Member States as well as to all relevant points of entry within the territory of the Member State concerned which might be affected by an interception;
Whereas it is appropriate to establish a standard Community printed form for notification of interception, to be used by the relevant departments of the Member Sates;
Whereas the effective operation of the system requires the establishment of an information network for the use and processing of the information contained in those forms;
Whereas management of the system does not preclude use of part of the information contained in notification of interception forms for the purposes of the Convention for the Establishment of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization, signed in Paris on 18 April 1951, as last amended on 21 September 1988;
Whereas the measures provided for in this Directive are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plant Health,