24. 7. 93 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 182/63 COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 22 July 1993 authorizing Member States to provide for derogations from certain provisions of Council Directive 77/93/EEC in respect of plants of strawberry (Fragaria L.), intended for planting, other than seeds, originating in Argentina (93/411/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 ('), as last amended by Directive 93/19/EEC (3, and in particular Article 14 (3) thereof, - Having regard to the request made by Italy, the Nether- lands and the United Kingdom, Whereas, under the provisions of Directive 77/93/EEC, plants of strawberry (Fmgana L), intended for planttng, other than seeds, originating in non-European countires, other than Mediterranean countries, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the continental States of the USA, may, in principle, not be introduced into the Community ; Whereas, the growing in Argentina of plants of Fragaria L., intended for planting, other than seeds from plants supplied by some Member States, in order to prolongate the growing season of the plants, has become an esta- blished practice; whereas these plants are afterwards re-exported to the relevant Member States in order to have them planted for the production of fruits; Whereas, in respect of the said imports into the Commu- nity of the said plants, on the basis of the information supplied by the relevant Member States, it appears that the said strawberry plants can be grown under adequate health conditions in Argentina, and that, at present, there are no sources for the introduction of exotic diseases affecting plants of Fragaria L.; () OJ No L 26, 31. 1. 1977, p. 20. () OJ No L 96, 22. 4. 1993, p. 33. Whereas 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. Member States are hereby authorized to provide, under the conditions laid down in paragraph 2, for a derogation from Article 4 (1) of Directive 77/93/EEC, with regard to the réquirements referred to in Annex III (A) (18) for plants of strawberry (Fragaria L), intended for planting, other than seeds, originating in Argentina, 2. The following conditions shall be satisfied : (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 and imported from that Member State ; (ii) grown on land which is: — situated in an area isolated from commercial strawberry production, — situated at least 1 km from the nearest crop of strawberry plants, for fruit or runner produc- tion and 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 conditions of this Decision, and — prior to planting and in the period after the previous crop was removed from the land, tested by appropriate methods or treated to ensure freedom from soil infesting harmful organisms ;