14.11.2000 Official Journal of the European Communities L 287/65 COMMISSION DECISION of 30 October 2000 authorising Member States to provide for derogations from certain provisions of Council Directive 2000/29/EC in respect of plants of strawberry (Fragaria L.), intended for planting, other than seeds, originating in the Republic of Chile (notified under document number C(2000) 3141) (2000/700/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 ('), and in particular Article 15(1) thereof, Having regard to the request made by the French Republic, Whereas: (1) Under the provisions of Directive 2000/29/EC, plants of strawberry (Fragaria L.), intended for planting, other than seeds, originating in non-European countries, other than Mediterranean countries, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the continental states of the USA, may in principle not be introduced into the Community. (2)  There is interest in the multiplication, in the Republic of Chile, of plants of Fragaria L., intended for planting, other than seeds, from plants supplied by a Member State, in order to prolong the producing season of the plants. The plants produced are afterwards exported to the Community to be planted for the fruit production. (3)  On the basis of the information supplied by France in support of its request and by Chile, it appears that strawberry plants can be grown under adequate health conditions in the Republic of Chile. (@) In the light of this information, there appears to be no risk of strawberry plants imported from Chile spreading harmful organisms, affecting plants of Fragaria L., provided that certain special technical conditions are satisfied. (5)  The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plant Health, HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: Article 1 1. By derogation from Article 4(1) of Directive 2000/29/EC with regard to the requirements referred to in Annex II[(A)(18), Member States may permit the introduction into their territory () O] L 169, 10.7.2000, p. 1. of plants of strawberry (Fragaria L.), intended for planting, other than seeds, originating in the Republic of Chile, under the conditions laid down in paragraphs 2 and 3. 2. Plants of strawberries introduced pursuant to paragraph 1 shall satisfy the following specific conditions, in addition to the requirements laid down in part A of the Annexes I, Il and IV to Directive 2000/29/EC: (a) the plants shall be intended for fruit production within the Community and shall have been: (i) produced exclusively from mother plants, certified under an approved certification scheme of a Member State, which were imported from a Member State, (i = grown on land which is: — situated in an area isolated from commercial straw- berry production, — situated at least 1 km from the nearest crop of strawberry plants grown for fruit or runner production which do not satisfy the conditions of this Decision, — situated at least 200 m from any other plants of the genus Fragaria which do not satisfy the condi- tions of this Decision, and — prior to planting but after the previous crop was removed from the land, either officially tested by appropriate methods and shown to be free from harmful soil infesting organisms including Globo- dera pallida (Stone) Behrens and Globodera rosto- chiensis (Wollenweber) Behrens, or treated to ensure it was free from those organisms; (iii = officially inspected by the Plant Protection Service of the Republic of Chile, at least three times during the growing season and prior to export for the presence of the harmful organisms listed in part A of Annexes I and II to Directive 2000/29/EC, in particular, — arabis mosaic virus — Colletotrichum acutatum Simmonds — Globodera pallida (Stone) Behrens — Globodera rostochiensis (Wollenweber) Behrens — Phytophthora fragarize Hickmann var. fragariae — strawberry crinkle virus