Exportation of young vine plants from Italy to the People's Republic of China

19.11.2008

WRITTEN QUESTION E-6422/08
by Carlo Fatuzzo (PPE‑DE)
to the Commission

Italy, and in particular the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region, is one of the Community’s active wine‑producing areas.

It is home to many enterprises which grow the young vine plants needed to replace plants that can no longer meet the requirements of wine estates.

The Friuli-Venezia-Giulia regional government and the Italian Ministry of Agriculture have recently been requested to facilitate the exportation of young vine plants to the People’s Republic of China.

An initial reading of the legislation in force shows that plant health approval from the competent Italian and Chinese authorities is required for trade with Chinese partners. That is not the opinion of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, according to which the standardised nature of plant health requirements throughout the European Union, and hence the validity of risk analyses already conducted on plant material originating from France, are sufficient in themselves to automatically guarantee the lawfulness of exports of such products from Italy to China.

In the Commission’s opinion, can producers of horticultural and viticultural materials — in this case young vine plants — export goods in those categories towards the People’s Republic of China without the need for further plant health approvals from Community and/or national authorities, especially in the light of the current rules concerning the common European area?

OJ C 316, 23/12/2009