L 60/26 Official Journal of the European Communities 7.3.2000 COMMISSION DECISION of 18 February 2000 authorising the Member States to provide for derogations from certain provisions of Council Directive 77/93/EEC in respect of potatoes, other than potatoes intended for planting, originating in New Zealand (notified under document number C(2000) 400) (2000/193/EC) 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 Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products and against their spread within the Community ('), as amended by Commission Directive 1999/53/EC (?), and in particular Article 14(1) thereof, Having regard to the request made by the United Kingdom, Whereas: (1) Under the provisions of Directive 77/93EEC, potatoes, other than potatoes intended for planting, originating in New Zealand may in principle not be introduced into the Community because of the risk of introducing potato diseases unknown in the Community. (2) By Decisions 98/81/EC (}) and 1999/209/EC (%) the Commission authorised Member States to provide for derogations in respect of potatoes, other than potatoes intended for planting, originating in New Zealand, under specified conditions in the 1998 and 1999 seasons respectively. (3)  There were no confirmed findings of diseases and pests on samples drawn from potatoes imported pursuant to Decisions 1999/209/EC and whereas due to technical reasons there were no imports made under Decision 98/81/EC. (4)  In relation to the requirements laid down in point 25.2 of Annex IV, part A, section I to Directive 77/93/EEC and on the basis of information provided by New Zealand, and international scientific technical literature, New Zealand is known to be free from Clavibacter michi- ganensis (Smith) Davis et al. ssp. sepedonicus (Spiecker- mann & Kotthoff) Davis et al. (5) It is expected that New Zealand make available all tech- nical information necessary to assess in the future, the phytosanitary status of potato production in New Zealand, in particular details on the regular monitoring of seed and ware potatoes imported into, and marketed () O] L 26, 31.1.1977, p. 20. () O] L 142, 5.6.1999, p. 29. () O] L 14, 20.1.1998, p. 29. (% O] L 72, 18.3.1999, p. 37. within New Zealand by means of examination and testing of representative samples by scientifically recog- nised methods for Ralstonia solanacearum (Smith) Yabuuchi et al., as well as the results of the said exam- ination and testing. (6)  The circumstances justifying the authorisation still obtain. (7  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. The Member States are hereby authorised to provide, under the conditions laid down in paragraph 2, for exceptions from Article 4(1) of Directive 77/93/EEC, with regard to the prohibitions referred to in part A, point 12 of Annex III thereto for potatoes, other than potatoes intended for planting, origin- ating in New Zealand. 2. In addition to the requirements laid down in Annexes I and II to Directive 77/93/EEC in relation to potatoes the following specific conditions shall be satisfied: (a) the potatoes shall not be potatoes intended for planting; (b) they shall have been grown in New Zealand directly from seed potatoes certified in the New Zealand seed-potato certification scheme or from seed potatoes certified in one of the Member States and imported into New Zealand exclusively from the Member States, or from seed potatoes certified in any other country for which the entry into the Community of potatoes intended for planting is permitted pursuant to Directive 77/93/EEC; (c) they shall have been treated for the suppression of their faculty of germination except for early potatoes; (d) they shall have been grown in areas known to be free from Synchytrium endobioticum (Schilbersky) Percival, and no symptoms of Synchytrium endobioticum (Schilbersky) Percival shall have been observed either at the place of production or in its immediate vicinity since the beginning of an adequate period;