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Official Journal of the European Union
9.12.2011
COMMISSION IMPLEMENTING DECISION
of 7 December 2011
amending Council Directive 2002/56/EC as regards the date laid down in Article 21(3) until which
Member States are authorised to extend the validity of decisions concerning equivalence of seed
potatoes from third countries
(notified under document C(2011) 8929)
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2011/820/EU)
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
it is necessary to authorise Member States to extend the
validity of their national equivalence decisions.
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European
Union,
(4) Directive
2002/56/EC
should
therefore
be
amended
accordingly.
Having regard to Council Directive 2002/56/EC of 13 June
2002 on the marketing of seed potatoes ( 1 ), and in particular
(5) The
measures
provided
for
in
this
Decision
are
in
the second subparagraph of Article 21(3) thereof,
accordance with the opinion of the Standing
Committee on Seeds and Propagating Material for Agri
Whereas:
culture, Horticulture and Forestry,
(1) Directive
2002/56/EC
provides
that,
with
effect
from HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
certain dates, Member States may no longer determine
for themselves the equivalence of seed potatoes harvested
in third countries with seed potatoes harvested within the
Article 1
Union and complying with that Directive.
In the first subparagraph of Article 21(3) of Directive
2002/56/EC, ‘31 March 2011’ is replaced by ‘31 March 2014’.
(2) However,
as
work
to
establish
a
Union
equivalence
for
seed potatoes from all the third countries concerned had
not been completed, Directive 2002/56/EC permitted
Article 2
Member States to extend until 31 March 2011 the
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
validity of equivalence decisions which they had already
taken for seed potatoes from certain third countries not
covered by a Union equivalence. This date was chosen by
Done at Brussels, 7 December 2011.
reference to the end of the period where seed potatoes
are placed on the market.
For the Commission
(3) Since
this
work
still
has
not
been
completed
and
a
new
John DALLI
marketing season will start by the end of the year 2011,
Member of the Commission
( 1 ) OJ L 193, 20.7.2002, p. 60.

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