THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Directive 2000/29/EC of 8 May 2000 on protective measures against the introduction into the Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant products and against their spread within the Community, and in particular the second subparagraph of Article 2(1)(f), and the second subparagraph of Article 10(1) thereof,
Whereas:
(1)
Under Commission Directive 92/105/EEC of 3 December 1992 establishing a degree of standardisation for plant passports to be used for the movement of certain plants, plant products or other objects within the Community, and establishing the detailed procedures related to the issuing of such plant passports and the conditions and detailed procedures for their replacement, certain detailed procedures relating to the issuing of plant passports have been established.
(2)
New provisions should be introduced considering the labels issued in accordance with Community provisions applicable to the marketing of some officially certified seed meeting the relevant requirements of Directive 2000/29/EC, to be plant passports.
(3)
It appeared that many Member States already use labels without the indication ‘EC-plant passport’ for the coming season 2004 to 2005. It is appropriate to lay down rules for the use of labels during a transitional period.
(4)
Directive 92/105/EEC provides that the plant passports are to contain certain information including the wording ‘EEC plant passport’. Since the adoption of the Treaty on European Union, the Community is now known as the ‘European Community’, with the corresponding abbreviation ‘EC’, so that wording should be amended to ‘EC plant passport’.
(5)
Directive 92/105/EEC should therefore be amended accordingly.
(6)
The system using the above labels should be reviewed by 31 December 2006 to take into account the experiences gained.
(7)
The measures provided for in this Directive are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plant Health,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: