THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Council Directive 66/401/EEC of 14 June 1966 on the marketing of fodder plant seed, and in particular Article 13a thereof,
Having regard to Council Directive 66/402/EEC of 14 June 1966 on the marketing of cereal seed, and in particular Article 13a thereof,
Having regard to Council Directive 2002/54/EC of 13 June 2002 on the marketing of beet seed, and in particular Article 19 thereof,
Having regard to Council Directive 2002/55/EC of 13 June 2002 on the marketing of vegetable seed, and in particular Article 33 thereof,
Having regard to Council Directive 2002/57/EC of 13 June 2002 on the marketing of seed of oil and fibre plants, and in particular Article 16 thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
Official field inspections of the crop are a condition for the certification of basic seed and bred seed of generations prior to basic seed. As regards certified seed, however, the possibility has been introduced some time ago, to choose between official field inspections and field inspections under official supervision.
(2)
Providing for the possibility to choose between official field inspections and field inspections under official supervision may also constitute an improved alternative to requiring official field inspection as far as basic seed and bred seed of generations prior to basic seed are concerned. A temporary experiment should therefore be organised to assess this alternative.
(3)
Taking into account the experience gained, as regards certified seed, with field inspections under official supervision, it is appropriate to carry out the experiment applying the same provisions as apply to certified seed in order to assess whether those provisions are suitable for basic seed and bred seed of generations prior to basic seed.
(4)
It is necessary to release Member States participating in the experiment from the obligations with respect to official field inspections provided for in Directives 66/401/EEC, 66/402/EEC, 2002/54/EC, 2002/55/EC and 2002/57/EC.
(5)
Member States participating in the experiment should report annually.
(6)
The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Seeds and Propagating Material for Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: