Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/2852 of 11 November 2024 establishing a derogation from Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 as regards the requirements for the introduction into the Union territory of naturally or artificially dwarfed plants for planting of Chamaecyparis Spach, Juniperus L. and certain species of Pinus L., originating in Japan and repealing Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1217

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2016 on protective measures against pests of plants, amending Regulations (EU) No 228/2013, (EU) No 652/2014 and (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Directives 69/464/EEC, 74/647/EEC, 93/85/EEC, 98/57/EC, 2000/29/EC, 2006/91/EC and 2007/33/EC (1), and in particular Articles 40(2) and 41(2) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 (2) establishes a list of plants, plant products and other objects whose introduction into the Union territory from certain third countries is prohibited. In accordance with point 1 of Annex VI to that Regulation, the introduction into the Union territory of plants for planting of Chamaecyparis Spach, Juniperus L. and Pinus L., other than fruit and seeds, is prohibited.

(2) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1217 (3) allows, by way of derogation from point 1 of Annex VI to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072, under certain conditions, the introduction into the Union of naturally or artificially dwarfed plants for planting of Chamaecyparis Spach, Juniperus L. and certain species of Pinus L., originating in Japan (the ‘specified plants’).

(3) Certain Union quarantine pests like Gymnosporangium spp. have two taxonomically different hosts for their different spore stages. Therefore, in order to ensure that the pests of concern are absent from the area, in the case of export of Juniperus plants, it is appropriate to introduce requirements for inspections also for Chaenomeles Lindl., Crataegus L., Cydonia Mill., Juniperus L., Malus Mill., Photinia Ldl. and Pyrus L. plants, originating in the same place of production but not necessarily destined for export to the Union.

(4) In accordance with Article 3 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1217, the derogation provided for in that Implementing Regulation expires on 31 December 2024.

(5) On 29 March 2024, Japan requested an extension for the derogation provided for in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1217.

(6) Following the recent interceptions of Matsucoccus matsumurae (Kuwana) and Homona magnanima Dyakonov on dwarfed Pinus plants from Japan, these pests should also be considered pests of concern, pending their evaluation as potential Union quarantine pests.

(7) Moreover, the Opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) of 15 March 2019 (4) concluded that the plants of Chamaecyparis Spach and Pinus parviflora Sieb. & Zucc. (Pinus pentaphylla Mayr) are also hosts to the pest Urocerus japonicus (F. Sm.). For this reason, that pest should also be considered a pest of concern for those plants and be subject to appropriate measures.

(8) The introduction of the specified plants into the Union, subject to the requirements of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1217, as effectively applied by Japan, has presented an acceptable phytosanitary risk for the Union territory. Therefore, the derogation should be granted again.

(9) That derogation should be subject to similar requirements as those that were set out in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1217. Those requirements should apply without prejudice to point 30 of Annex VII to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072, concerning the introduction into the Union territory of naturally or artificially dwarfed plants for planting other than seeds.

(10) Several of the pests hosted by the specified plants, and in particular the pests Coleosporium asterum (Dietel) Sydow & P. Sydow, Coleosporium paederiae Dietel ex Hirats. f., Coleosporium phellodendri Komarov, Crisicoccus pini (Kuwana), Dendrolimus spectabilis (Butler), Dendrolimus superans Butler, Matsucoccus matsumurae (Kuwana), Sirex nitobei Mats., Thecodiplosis japonensis Uchida & Inouye and Urocerus japonicus (F. Sm.), are not yet listed as Union quarantine pests, because their phytosanitary risk has not yet been fully assessed. Therefore, as this Regulation addresses a particular phytosanitary risk which is not yet fully assessed, the requirements it provides should be of a temporary nature pursuant to Article 7 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072, in order to allow for a full review of that risk.

(11) Homona magnanima is hosted by the specified plants. In accordance with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1941 (5), it is not to be introduced into, moved within, or held, multiplied or released in the Union territory as a pest subject to measures referred to in Article 30 of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031.

(12) For reasons of legal certainty, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1217 should be repealed and replaced by the provisions of this Regulation.

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

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Definitions

For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions apply:

Article 2

Derogation from the prohibition to introduce the specified plants into the Union territory

(a) for Chamaecyparis: from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2028;

(b) for Juniperus: from 1 November to 31 March of each year until 31 December 2028;

(c) for Pinus parviflora Sieb. & Zucc. (Pinus pentaphylla Mayr) and Pinus parviflora Sieb. & Zucc. grafted on a rootstock of another Pinus species, originating in Japan: from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2028;

(d) for Pinus thunbergii Parl. and Pinus thunbergii Parl. grafted on a rootstock of another Pinus species, originating in Japan: from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2028.

Article 3

Confirmed presence of a pest of concern during the post-entry detention period

Member States shall notify the Commission, the other Member States and Japan of any pest of concern confirmed during entry or during the post-entry detention period referred to in point 2.1 of the Annex.

Where a pest of concern is detected, all specified plants from the nursery from which the infected/infested plant originated, shall not be allowed to be introduced into the Union territory until the renewal of nursery authorisation referred to in point 1.5 of the Annex.

Article 4

Repeal of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1217

Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1217 is repealed.

Article 5

Entry into force

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 11 November 2024.

For the Commission The President Ursula VON DER LEYEN

(1) OJ L 317, 23.11.2016, p. 4, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/2031/oj.

(2) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 of 28 November 2019 establishing uniform conditions for the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament and the Council, as regards protective measures against pests of plants, and repealing Commission Regulation (EC) No 690/2008 and amending Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 (OJ L 319, 10.12.2019, p. 1, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2019/2072/oj).

(3) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1217 of 25 August 2020 on a derogation from Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 concerning the introduction into the Union of naturally or artificially dwarfed plants for planting of Chamaecyparis Spach, Juniperus L. and certain species of Pinus L., originating in Japan, and repealing Decision 2002/887/EC (OJ L 277, 26.8.2020, p. 6, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2020/1217/oj).

(4) EFSA Panel on Plant Health, 2019. Scientific Opinion on the commodity risk assessment of black pine (Pinus thunbergii Parl.) bonsai from Japan. EFSA Journal 2019;17(5):5667, 184 pp. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2019.5667.

(5) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1941 of 13 October 2022 on the prohibition of introduction, movement, holding, multiplication or release of certain pests pursuant to Article 30(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 268, 14.10.2022, p. 13; ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2022/1941/oj).