L 12/30 Official Journal of the European Communities 18.1.2000 COMMISSION DECISION of 16 December 1999 on a Community financial contribution to cover expenditure incurred by Spain for the purpose of combating organisms harmful to plants or plant products (notified under document number C(1999) 4518) (Only the Spanish text is authentic) (2000/36[EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, (6)  the contribution referred to in Article 2 is without preju- 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 Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products and against their spread within the Community ('), as last amended by Commission Directive 1999/53/EC (3, and in particular Article 19c thereof, Whereas: (1)  Pursuant to Directive 77/93/EEC, a financial contribu- tion from the Community may be granted to Member States to cover expenditure relating directly to the neces- sary measures which have been taken or are planned to be taken for the purpose of combating harmful organ- isms introduced from third countries or from other areas in the Community, in order to eradicate or, if that is not possible, to contain them; (2)  Spain has applied for the allocation of such a Community financial contribution and supplied programmes of actions to eradicate: Clavibacter michiga- nensis ssp. sepedonicus (Smith) Davis et al., the causal agent of potato ring rot, introduced in Spain in 1995; Ralstonia solanacearum (Smith) Yabuuchi et al., the causal agent of potato brown rot, introduced in Spain in 1996; Erwinia amylovora (Burrill) Winslow et al., introduced in Spain in 1996. These programmes specify the objectives to be achieved, the measures carried out, their duration and their cost so that the Community may contribute to financing them; (3)  The Community financial contribution may cover up to 50 % of eligible expenditure; (4)  The expenditure which Spain has incurred in the years 1996 and 1997 relates directly to the destruction of infected plants and plant products and to plant health inspections, sampling and analyses; (5)  The technical information provided by Spain has enabled the Standing Committee on Plant Health to analyse the situation accurately and comprehensively; 6, 31.1.1977, p. 20. 42, 5.6.1999, p. 29. dice to a possible contribution for other expenditure specified in the application by Spain, but not taken into account in this Decision, or for further actions taken or to be taken and necessary for the achievement of the objective of eradication or control of the relevant harmful organisms; such a contribution would be the object of a subsequent Decision; (7)  The present Decision is without prejudice to the outcome of the verifications by the Commission under Article 19d of Directive 77/93/EEC on whether the introduction of the relevant harmful organisms has been caused by inadequate examinations or inspections and the consequences of such verifications; (8)  The measures provided in this Decision are in accord- ance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plant Health, HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: Article 1 The allocation of a Community financial contribution to cover expenditure incurred by Spain relating directly to necessary measures as specified in Article 19¢(2) of Directive 77/93/EEC and taken for the purpose of combating Clavibacter michiga- nensis and Ralstonia solanacearum and Erwinia amylovora, is hereby approved. Article 2 The maximum amount of the Community financial contribu- tion shall be EUR 18 102. The repartition of the contribution shall be: — EUR 8 806 for the measures taken for the purpose of combating Clavibacter michiganensis, — EUR 5 644 for the measures taken for the purpose of combating Ralstonia solanacearum, — EUR 3652 for measures taken for the purpose of combating Erwinia amylovora.