Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2017/2374

Contents

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,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^note, and in particular points 16.2(e) and 16.4(e) of Section I of Part A of Annex IV thereto,Whereas:

(1)Annex IV to Directive 2000/29/EC determines the special requirements which must be complied with for the introduction and movement of plants and plant products into and within all Member States.

(2)Commission Implementing Directive (EU) 2017/1279^note introduced points 16.2(e) and 16.4(e) in Section I of Part A of Annex IV to Directive 2000/29/EC. Those points lay down such special requirements in respect of certain fruits (fruits of Citrus L., Fortunella Swingle, Poncirus Raf., Microcitrus Swingle, Naringi Adans., Swinglea Merr., and their hybrids) destined for industrial processing (hereinafter: ‘the specified fruits’). Pursuant to those points, the Commission is to adopt conditions for the movement within the Union, storage and processing of those fruits.

(3)In order to allow the responsible official bodies and the professional operators to comply with the conditions applicable to the specified fruits, it is appropriate to require the notification of details of the specified fruits before those fruits may be moved within the Union.

(4)The movement of the specified fruits within the Union should be subject to the supervision of the responsible official bodies to ensure effective control over the compliance with the relevant conditions.

(5)Specific conditions should be established for the industrial processing of the specified fruits to ensure the phytosanitary protection of the Union territory from harmful organisms. Those conditions should include provisions on the premises, waste and by-products and record keeping.

(6)In order to ensure the phytosanitary protection of the Union and control, if needed, of the storage activity, the specified fruits should be stored in a registered facility approved for that purpose by the Member State where the facility is situated and in a way which prevents any potential risk of spreading of the specified organisms. Specific conditions should be established concerning storage, to ensure effective traceability of those products, control of that activity and phytosanitary protection of the Union territory.

(7)Since Member States are to apply their national provisions necessary to comply with Directive (EU) 2017/1279 from 1 January 2018, this Decision should start to apply on the same date.

(8)The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: