Under the provisions of Directive 2000/29/EC, harmful organisms listed in its Annexes I and II, whether singly or associated with the relevant plants or plant products listed in Annex II to that Directive, may not be introduced into and spread by movement within the Community or certain protected zones thereof.

Under Directive 2000/29/EC, plants, plant products and other objects listed in its Annex III may not be introduced into the Community or into certain protected zones thereof.

Plants, plant products and other objects listed in Annex IV to Directive 2000/29/EC may not be introduced into or moved within the Community or certain protected zones thereof unless the relevant special requirements indicated in that Annex are met.

Plants, plant products and other objects listed in Annex V, Part B to Directive 2000/29/EC coming from third countries may not be introduced into the Community unless they comply with the standards and requirements laid down in that Directive and are accompanied by an official phytosanitary certificate ensuring such compliance and are, moreover, inspected on an official basis for compliance with these provisions.

However, Articles 3(8), 4(5), 5(5) and 13b(4) of Directive 2000/29/EC provide for those rules not to apply to the introduction and movement of such harmful organisms, plants, plant products and other objects, for trial or scientific purposes and for work on varietal selections, under conditions which shall be determined at Community level.

Therefore, it is necessary to determine the conditions which must be satisfied in the case of such introductions or movements, in order to ensure that there is no risk of harmful organisms spreading.

The measures provided for in this Directive are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plant Health.

This Directive should be without prejudice to the obligations of the Member States relating to the time-limits for transposition into national law of the Directives set out in Annex IV, Part B,