12.6.2001 Official Journal of the European Communities L155/15 COMMISSION DECISION of 29 May 2001 authorising Member States to provide for derogations from certain provisions of Council Directive 2000/29/EC in respect of plants of strawberry (Fragaria L.), intended for planting, other than seeds, originating in Argentina (notified under document number C(2001) 1485) (2001/441/EC) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, 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 ('), and in particular Article 15(1) thereof, Having regard to the request made by the Republic of France, the Republic of Italy and the Kingdom of Spain, Whereas: (1) Under the provisions of Directive 2000/29/EC, plants of strawberry (Fragaria L.), intended for planting, other than seeds, originating in non-European countries, other than Mediterranean countries, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the continental States of the USA, may in principle not be introduced into the Community. (2)  The multiplication in Argentina of plants of Fragaria L. from plants supplied by a Member State, in order to prolong the producing season of the plants, has become an established practice. The plants produced are after- wards exported to the Community to be planted for the fruit production. (3) By Decisions 93[411/EEC (3, 95/53/EC(), 96/ 403/EC (%, 97/353/EC () and 1999/181/EC (°), the Commission authorised derogations from the require- ments of Directive 2000/29/EC and its predecessor, Council Directive 77[93/EEC (), subject to special tech- nical conditions, in respect of such plants for the 1993 to 2000 seasons. (4)  In the season 2000, Italy reported to the Commission detection of the harmful organism Xanthomonas fragariae Kennedy & King in plants imported pursuant to the above derogation. The organism was detected at the time of import of the plants which were therefore destroyed at the point of entry. (5)  From the additional information supplied by Argentina on the above finding it was not possible to confirm the source of the contamination. However Argentina 169, 10.7.2000, p. 1. 182, 24.7.1993, p. 63. 53, 9.3.1995, p. 35. 165, 4.7.1996, p. 37. 151, 10.6.1997, p. 40. 59, 6.3.1999, p. 32. 26, 31.1.1977, p. 20. STS B LLoLeene e 3 Slelrlslewe confirmed that administrative and technical measures will be strengthened for all future shipments of straw- berry plants destined to the EU; it is considered therefore that the circumstances justifying the previous author- isations still obtain. (6) A similar derogation to that granted in previous years should therefore be provided, with similar stringent requirements, for the import of Argentinean strawberry plants for a limited period between 1 June 2001 and 30 September 2002. (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. By derogation from Article 4(1) of Directive 2000/29/EC with regard to the requirements referred to in Annex III(A) (18), Member States may permit the introduction into their territory of plants of strawberry (Fragaria L.), intended for planting, other than seeds, originating in Argentina, under the conditions laid down in paragraph 2 and 3. 2. Plants of strawberries introduced pursuant to paragraph 1 shall satisfy the following specific conditions, in addition to the requirements laid down in part A of the Annexes I, Il and IV to Directive 2000/29/EC: (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, which were imported from a Member State; (i) grown on land which is: — situated in an area isolated from commercial straw- berry production, — situated at least 1 km from the nearest crop of strawberry plants grown for fruit or runner production 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 condi- tions of this Decision, and