Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 establishes, on the basis of a preliminary risk assessment, a list of high risk plants, plant products and other objects.

According to Regulation (EU) 2016/2031, if it is concluded, on the basis of a risk assessment, that a plant, plant product or other object originating in a third country, group of third countries or specific area of the third country concerned poses an unacceptable risk, but that that risk can be reduced to an acceptable level by applying certain measures, the Commission is to remove that plant, plant product or other object from the list of Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 and add it to the list referred to in Article 41(2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031.

The Annex to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 includes the genera Albizia Durazz. and Robinia L. as high risk plants.

On 24 January 2019, Israel submitted to the Commission a request for export to the Union of bare rooted, dormant grafted plants for planting, with a maximum diameter of 2,5 cm belonging to the species Albizia julibrissin Durazzini and of bare rooted, dormant grafted plants for planting, with a maximum diameter of 2,5 cm belonging to the species Robinia pseudoacacia L. (the ‘specified plants’). That request was supported by the respective technical dossiers.

On 13 January 2020, the European Food Safety Authority (‘the Authority’) published a scientific opinion regarding the commodity risk assessment of Albizia julibrissin plants from Israel. The Authority identified Aonidiella orientalis, a species complex including Euwallacea fornicatus sensu stricto, Euwallacea fornicatior, Euwallacea whitforiodendrus and Euwallacea kuroshio (‘Euwallacea fornicatus sensu lato’) and Fusarium euwallaceae (‘the specified pests’) as pests relevant for those plants, evaluated the risk mitigation measures described in the dossier for those pests and estimated the likelihood of pest freedom for each pest related to that commodity.

On 2 March 2020, the Authority published a scientific opinion regarding the commodity risk assessment of Robinia pseudoacacia plants from Israel. It identified Euwallacea fornicatus sensu lato and Fusarium euwallaceae as pests relevant to those plants, evaluated the risk mitigation measures described in the dossier for those pests and estimated the likelihood of pest freedom for each pest related to that commodity.

Following those opinions, Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1214 removed the specified plants from the list of high risk plants of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019.

Moreover, and on the basis of those opinions, the phytosanitary risk from introduction into the Union of the specified plants is considered to be reduced to an acceptable level by applying measures to address the risk of the specified pests. Such measures should therefore be adopted to ensure the phytosanitary protection of the Union territory from the introduction of the specified plants into the Union.

Euwallacea fornicatus belongs to the family of Scolytidae (non-European), which is listed in Annex II to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 as a group of Union quarantine pests. A pest risk assessment carried out by Spain and a report published by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation (‘EPPO’) are available for Euwallacea fornicatus sensu lato, in which mitigation measures are suggested. The measures described by Israel in the dossier should be complemented by the measures suggested in that pest risk assessment and the respective report. The adopted measures are subject to review in the light of additional scientific and technical information.

Aonidiella orientalis and Fusarium euwallaceae are not yet included in the list of Union quarantine pests of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072, but they may fulfil the conditions to be included following a further complete risk assessment. Therefore, the measures for those two pests are based on those described by Israel in the dossier. Where it is established that those pests fulfil those conditions, they will be included in the list of Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072, and the relevant plants will be listed in Annex VII to that Regulation, together with the respective measures, when a complete risk assessment on those pests becomes available and justifies those inclusions. This Regulation should be then reviewed accordingly.

In order to comply with the Union obligations deriving from the World Trade Organization agreement on the application of sanitary and phytosanitary measures, the import of those commodities should resume within the shortest possible delay. Therefore, this Regulation should enter into force the third day following that of its publication.

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee for Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,