No L 112/32 Official Journal of the European Communities 29. 4. 86 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 20 March 1986 authorizing certain Member States to provide for derogations from certain provisions of Council Directive 77/93/EEC in respect of isolated bark of conifers originating in Califcrnia (USA) (Only the Danish, German, French and Dutch texts are authentic) (86/141/BEC) 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 intro- duction into the Member States of organisms harmful to plants or plant products ('), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 3768/85(3), and in particular Article 14 (3) thereof, Having regard to the requests made by the Member States concerned, Whereas under the provisions of Directive 77/93/EEC, isolated bark of conifers originating in non-European countries may in principle not be introduced into the Community because of the risk of introducing harmful organisms ; Whereas, however, Article 14 (3) of the abovementioned Directive permits derogations from that rule, provided that it is established that there is no risk of spreading harmful organisms ; Whereas it has appeared that coniferous bark originating in California in the biological and technological quality available there is particularly appropriate as a growing medium or part of a growing medium for orchid plants, thus reducing the number of transplanting or repotting () OJ No L 26, 31. 1. 1977, p. 20. () OJ No L 362, 31. 12. 1985, p. 8. operations necessary in the process of orchid plant growing ; Whereas the Commission has established on the basis of the information available at present that the risk of spreading harmful organisms, in particular Scolytidae and Bursapbalencus xylophilus through the introduction of coniferous bark originating in California for the afore- mentioned purpose is obviated provided that certain tech- nical conditions are satisfied; whereas this Decision might be revised in the light of results of experiments to be carried out in respect of the effectiveness of certain fumigation schedules on the control of Bursaphalencus xylophilus ; Whereas the Member States concerned should therefore be authorized to provide for derogations in respect of coniferous bark originating in California under those technical conditions ; 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. Belgium, Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands are hereby authorized to provide, under the conditions laid down in paragraph 2, for derogations from Article 4 (1) of Directive 77/93/EEC, with regard to the prohibition referred to in Part A (5) of Annex III thereto, for conif- erous bark, originating in California (USA), provided that it is intended as a growing medium for orchid plants.