11. 2. 97 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 40/19 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 22 January 1997 authorizing the Member States exceptionally to provide for derogations from certain provisions of Council Directive 77/93/EEC in respect of plants of Vitis L., other than fruits, originating in Latvia (97/111/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 intro- duction into the Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products and against their spread within the Community ('), as last amended by Commission Directive 96/78/EC (%), and in particular Article 14 (1) thereof, Having regard to the request made by Sweden, Whereas, under the provisions of Directive 77/93/EEC, plants of Vitis L., other than fruits, originating in third countries, may, in principle, not be introduced into the Community; Whereas, the growing in Sweden of plants of Vitis L., other than fruits, imported from Latvia had become an established practice before Sweden’s accession to the Community; whereas those plants were not intended for commercial growing but for private gardens for orna- mental use; Whereas, in respect of the said imports into the Com- munity of the said plants, on the basis of the information supplied by the relevant Member State, it appears that in Latvia, plants of Viris L. can be grown under adequate () OJ No L 26, 31. 1. 1977, p. 20. () OJ No L 321, 12. 12. 199, p. 20. health conditions and that there are no sources for the introduction of exotic diseases affecting plants of Vitis L, 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: Article 1 1. The Member States are hereby authorised to provide, under the conditions laid down in paragraph 2, for excep- tions from Article 4 (1) of Directive 77/93/EEC, with regard to the prohibitions referred to in Part A, point 15 of Annex III thereto for plants of Vitis L., other than fruits, originating in Latvia. 2. The following specific conditions shall be satisfied: (a) the plants shall be Labrusca-hybrids of Vitis, belong- ing to one or more of the following varieties bred in Latvia: Supaga, Sukribe, Veldze and Zilga; (b) the plants shall be one year old bare-rooted cuttings, unrooted woody cuttings, or planted in pots with peat, not grafted and intended to be grown on without further multiplication for one or two years before selling, at the premises referred to in point (g); (c) the plants intended for the Community shall be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued in Latvia in accordance with Article 7 of Directive 77/93/EEC, on the basis of the examination laid down in Article 6 thereof related to the conditions laid down therein, in particular freedom from the fol- lowing harmful organisms: