THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Articles 43 and 100 thereof;
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission;
Having regard to the Opinion of the European Parliament;
Having regard to the Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee;
Whereas potato production occupies an important place in Community agriculture;
Whereas the potato yield is constantly threatened by harmful organisms;
Whereas, through the protection of potato cultivation against such harmful organisms, not only should productive capacity be maintained but also agricultural productivity increased;
Whereas protective measures to prevent the introduction of harmful organisms into individual Member States would have only a limited effect if such organisms were not controlled simultaneously and methodically throughout the Community and were not prevented from spreading;
Whereas one of the organisms most harmful to potatoes in Synchytrium endobioticum (Schilb.) Perc., the pathogenic agent of the cryptogamic ‘Potato Wart’ disease;
Whereas this disease has occurred in several Member States and some limited sources of infection exist within the Community;
Whereas there is a permanent risk to potato cultivation throughout the Community if effective measures are not taken to control this disease and prevent it from spreading;
Whereas, in order to eradicate this harmful organism, minimum provisions must be adopted for the Community; whereas Member States must be able to adopt additional or stricter provisions where necessary;
Whereas potato varieties which are resistant to certain races of this organism play an important role; whereas their use, particularly in the safety zones surrounding contaminated plots, is of prime importance; whereas it is therefore in the general interest to publish periodic lists of such varieties;
Whereas, for determining the presence of contamination and the resistance of varieties, it appears necessary to apply appropriate methods to which Member States raise no objection;
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: