3.2.9 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 27/33 COMMISSION DECISION of 22 January 1996 authorizing the Member States to provide for derogations from certain provisions of Council Directive 77/93/EEC in respect of potatoes other than potatoes intended for planting originating in the Republic of Slovenia (96/114/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 95/66/EC (%), and in particular Article 14 (1) thereof, Having regard to the request made by Luxembourg, Whereas, pursuant to the provisions of Directive 77/93/BEC, potatoes other than potatoes intended for planting originating in the Republic of Slovenia may in principle not be introduced into the Community because of the risk of introducing potato diseases unknown in the Community ; Whereas information supplied by the Republic of Slovenia and collected during an official visit by Commis- sion officials carried out in that country in 1995 has shown that there are good reasons to believe that in the Republic of Slovenia potatoes can be grown under adequate health conditions and that, at present, there are no sources for the introduction of exotic potato diseases ; whereas the Republic of Slovenia has moreover imple- mented adequate health and quality standards in its potato production ; 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 authorized to provide, under the conditions laid down in paragraph 2, for excep- () OJ No L 26, 31. 1. 1977, p. 29. () O] No L 308, 21. 12. 1995, p. 77. tions from Article 4 (1) of Directive 77/93/EEC, with regard to the prohibitions referred to in Part A, point 12 of Annex III thereto for potatoes other than potatoes intended for planting originating in the Republic of Slovenia. 2. The following specific conditions shall be satisfied : (a) the potatoes shall be other than potatoes intended for planting ; (b) they shall have been grown from seed potatoes certi- fied in the seed potato certification scheme of the Republic of Slovenia or from seed potatoes certified in one of the Member States ; (c) they shall have been grown in areas known to be free from  Synchytrium  endobioticum  (Schilbersky) Percival (all races other than Race 1, the common European race), and no symptoms of Synchytrium endobioticum (Schilbersky) Percival have been observed either at the place of production or in its immediate vicinity since the beginning of an adequate period ; (d) they shall have been grown in areas where Pseudo- monas solanacearum (Smith) Smith is not known to occur ; (¢) regular planned monitoring of imports into the Republic of Slovenia and of seed potatoes and ware potatoes marketed within the Republic of Slovenia is continued by means of examination and testing of representative samples by scientifically recognized methods for Clavibacter michiganensis (Smith) Davis et al. spp. sepedonicus (Spieckermann et Kotthoff) Davis et al, Pseudomonas solanacearum (Smith) Smith and potato spindle tuber viroid ; (f) they shall have been handled by machinery which is reserved for them or which has been disinfected in an appropriate manner after each use for other purposes ; (g) they shall be packed either in new bags or in contai- ners which have been disinfected in an appropriate manner, and an official label shall be applied to each bag or container, bearing the information specified in the Annex; (h) prior to export the potatoes shall have been cleaned free from soil, leaves and other plant debris ;