No L 151/40 Official Journal of the European Communities 10. 6. 97 COMMISSION DECISION of 20 May 1997 authorizing Member States to provide for derogations from certain provisions of Council Directive 77/93/EEC in respect of plants of strawberry (Fragaria L.), intended for planting, other than seeds, originating in Argentina (97/353/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 97/14/EC (%), and in particular Article 14 (1) thereof, Having regard to the request made by Italy, Whereas, under the provisions of Directive 77/93/EEC, 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; Whereas, the growing in Argentina of plants of Fragaria L. intended for planting, other than seeds, from plants supplied by some Member States, in order to prolongate the growing season of the plants, has become an es- tablished practice; whereas these plants are afterwards re-exported to the Community in order to have them planted for the production of fruits; Whereas, by Decision 93/411/EEC (%), as last amended by Decision 96/403/EC (%), Member States were authorized to provide, under certain conditions, for derogations from certain general rules of Directive 77/93/EEC for plants of strawberry (Fragaria L)), intended for planting, other than seeds, originating in Argentina in the 1993-96 seasons; Whereas in the 1993 and 1994 import seasons there had been no confirmed findings of harmful organisms during import inspections on the plants imported pursuant to Decision 93/411/EEC; whereas however, in relation to the 1995 and 1996 import seasons, the Netherlands reported to the Commission four findings, one in the 1995 season and three in the 1996 season, of the harmful organism Xanthomonas fragariae Kennedy & King, detected () OJ No L 26, 31. 1. 1977, p. 20. () OJ No L 87, 2. 4. 1997, p. 17. () OF No L 182, 24. 7. 1993, p. 63. () OJ No L 165, 4. 7. 1996, p. 37. during the stipulated growing season inspections on the imported Argentinian strawberry plants; whereas it was not possible to confirm the source of the outbreaks; whereas it is considered that the circumstances justifying the previous authorizations still obtain; whereas it is appropriate to grant a further authorization with similar stringent requirements for the import of Argentinian strawberry plants for a limited period until 31 December 1998; 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.  Member States are hereby authorized to provide, under the conditions laid down in paragraph 2, for a derogation from Article 4 (1) of Directive 77/93/EEC, with regard to the requirements referred to in Annex III (A) (18) for plants of strawberry (Fragaria L., intended for planting, other than seeds, originating in Argentina. 2. In addition to the requirements laid down in part A of the Annexes I, II and IV to Directive 77/93/EEC, in relation to plants of strawberry, the following specific conditions shall be satisfied: (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 and those mother plants shall have been imported from a Member State; (i) grown on land which is: — situated in an area isolated from commercial strawberry production, — situated at least 1 km from the nearest crop of strawberry plants for fruit or runner produc- tion 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 conditions of this Decision, and