Introductory text

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^f1;

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: