(1)

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 (2) establishes, on the basis of a preliminary risk assessment, a list of high risk plants, plant products and other objects.

(2)

Following a preliminary assessment, 34 genera and one species of plants for planting originating from third countries are provisionally listed in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 as high risk plants. One of the listed genera is Acer L.

(3)

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1213 (3) sets out the phytosanitary measures for the introduction into the Union territory of certain plants, plant products and other objects, which have been removed from the Annex to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019, but for which phytosanitary risks are not yet fully assessed. This is because one or more pests hosted by those plants are not yet included in the list of Union quarantine pests of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 (4), but they may fulfil the conditions to be included following a further complete risk assessment.

(4)

On 3 May 2022, the United Kingdom (5) submitted to the Commission requests for export to the Union of the following plants for planting (‘the relevant plants’):

Those requests were supported by the relevant technical dossiers.

(5)

On 24 May 2023, the European Food Safety Authority (‘the Authority’) adopted four scientific opinions regarding the risk assessment of the relevant plants originating in the United Kingdom (6) (7) (8) (9). The Authority identified Bemisia tabaci, Coniella castaneicola, Cryphonectria parasitica, Entoleuca mammata, Eulecanium excrescens, Meloidogyne fallax, Meloidogyne mali, Phytophthora ramorum, Scirtothrips dorsalis and Takahashia japonica as pests relevant for each of the species of the relevant plants.

(6)

The Authority evaluated the risk mitigation measures described in the dossiers and estimated the likelihood of the freedom of the relevant plants from those pests. It concluded that the likelihood that the relevant plants would be free from those pests is high.

(7)

Based on those opinions, the phytosanitary risk from the introduction into the Union territory of the relevant plants is considered to be reduced to an acceptable level, provided that appropriate measures are applied to address the risk of pests related to those plants.

(8)

The measures described by the United Kingdom in the technical dossiers are considered sufficient to reduce the risk from the introduction into the Union territory of the relevant plants to an acceptable level. Those measures should therefore be adopted as phytosanitary import requirements to ensure the phytosanitary protection of the Union territory from introduction of the relevant plants into it.

(9)

Consequently, the relevant plants should no longer be considered high risk plants.

(10)

Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(11)

Bemisia tabaci, Cryphonectria parasitica and Entoleuca mammata are listed as a protected zone quarantine pest, for certain protected zones in the Union territory, in Annex III to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072. Meloidogyne fallax, Phytophthora ramorum and Scirtothrips dorsalis are listed as Union quarantine pests in Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072.

(12)

Coniella castaneicola, Eulecanium excrescens and Takahashia japonica are not yet included in the list of Union quarantine pests of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072. A complete risk assessment on those pests needs to become available, to determine whether the pests fulfil the conditions to be listed in Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072, and the relevant plants, originating in the United Kingdom, to be listed in Annex VII to that Regulation, together with the respective measures.

(13)

Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1213 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(14)

Meloidogyne mali is not included in the list of Union quarantine pests. A pest risk analysis for that pest was published by the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO) in September 2017 (10). Based on discussions with the Member States, it was concluded that it should not be regulated as a Union quarantine pest nor as a Union regulated non-quarantine pest, because although that pest has been present in certain Member States for a long time without official control measures, its impact in those Member States is considered low. For that reason, no import requirements are necessary with respect to that pest.

(15)

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