COMMISSION DECISION
of 2 June 1993
authorizing the Member States to provide for derogations from certain provisions of Council Directive 77/93/EEC in respect of heat-treated coniferous wood, originating in Canada, and establishing the details of the indicator system to be applied to the heat-treated wood
(93/365/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 (1), as last amended by Directive 93/19/EEC (2), and in particular the third indent of Article 14 (3) thereof,
Having regard to the requests made by the Member States,
Whereas under the provisions of Directive 77/93/EEC, owing to the risk of introducing harmful organisms, wood of conifers (Coniferales) except the wood of Thuja L. and wood in the form of:
chips, particles, wood waste, or scrap obtained in whole or part from those conifers,
packing cases, crates or drums,
pallets, box pallets or other load boards,
dunnage, spacers and bearers,
but including wood which has not kept its natural round surface, originating in Canada, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the United States of America, may not be introduced into the Community unless it has undergone an appropriate heat treatment to achieve a minimum wood-core temperature of 56 °C for 30 minutes and unless it is accompanied by the certificates prescribed in Articles 7 or 8 of the said Directive;
Whereas the wood of conifers originating in Canada is currently introduced into the Community; whereas in this case, phytosanitary certificates are not generally issued in that country; whereas the details of the indicator system to be applied to the wood, to confirm that the wood has undergone the required heat treatment achieving a minimum of 56 °C for 30 minutes in the wood core, should be established;
Whereas the Commission has established, on the basis of the information supplied by Canada, that an officially approved and monitored heat treatment verification programme has been set up to ensure that wood is heat-treated in approved heat chambers to a minimum core temperature of 56 °C for 30 minutes to achieve the thermal death of the harmful organisms concerned (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and its vectors); whereas the risk of spreading the relevant harmful organisms is reduced provided that the wood is accompanied by a 'Heat Treatment Certificate using Heat Chambers' issued under that programme;
Whereas the Commission will ensure that Canada makes available all technical information necessary to assess the functioning of the heat treatment verification programme;
Whereas this Decision should be reviewed by 1 April 1995 at the latest;
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:
OJ No L 26, 31. 1. 1977, p. 20.
OJ No L 96, 22. 4. 1993, p. 33.