(1)

Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 aims at providing protection in the territory of the Union against the spread of organisms harmful to plants, establishing measures to prevent their introduction and dissemination. Article 43(1) of that Regulation provides for specific requirements for the introduction of wood packaging material into the Union territory. Such wood packaging material is to comply with the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No 15 (ISPM 15): Regulation of Wood Packaging Material in International Trade (2), guaranteeing that the wood packaging material has been subjected to approved phytosanitary treatment.

(2)

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1456 (3) authorised Member States to provide for a temporary derogation from certain provisions of Article 43(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031, in respect of special conditions concerning the introduction into the Union territory of wood packaging material in the form of ammunition boxes originating in the United States of America, under the control of the United States Department of Defense, and manufactured before 1 September 2007. Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1456 expired on 31 July 2025.

(3)

Article 6 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1456 provided that the Member State of the first place of storage is to provide, on an annual basis, the Commission and the other Member States with information on the number of consignments introduced into their territories and with a report on the checks referred to in Article 3 of that Regulation.

(4)

Since the validity of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1456 has expired, new rules should be adopted in order to allow the introduction of such ammunition boxes under certain conditions also in the future.

(5)

On 31 July 2024, the United States of America requested an extension of the derogation set out in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1456. The United States of America have justified the request explaining that the programme provided an effective option for moving stockpiled ammunitions from 8 major depots.

(6)

The Commission has concluded, on the basis of the information supplied by the United States of America, the reporting on imports submitted by the Member States, pursuant to Article 6 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1456, and the views expressed by the Commission Expert Group on Plant Health, consulted on 21 January 2025, that the application of the conditions laid down in Article 1 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1456 to the introduction into the Union territory of wood packaging material in the form of ammunition boxes originating in the United States of America is sufficient to ensure the reduction of the phytosanitary risk for the Union territory to an acceptable level.

(7)

The conditions established in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1456 should therefore be maintained in this Regulation. Therefore, such wood packaging material in the form of ammunition boxes originating in the United States of America, should be allowed to be introduced into, as well as stored and moved within, the Union territory, as long as it fulfils the conditions set out in this Regulation.

(8)

In order to ensure effective controls and overview of the potential phytosanitary risks, any operator moving or storing wood packaging material in the form of ammunition boxes originating in the United States of America, after the respective relevant checks, should notify the respective competent authority concerning the movement or storage of the boxes concerned.

(9)

In order to ensure a swift response to any potential phytosanitary risk from wood packaging material in the form of ammunition boxes originating in the United States of America, Member States should immediately inform each other and the Commission when they become aware of a consignment not complying with the requirements concerning the conditions for introduction into the Union set out in this Regulation. In addition, they should, on an annual basis, provide the Commission and the other Member States with information on the imports made, in order to assess the application of this Regulation.

(10)

The conditions for the derogation introduced by this Regulation should apply until 31 December 2030 to allow for the review of the implementation of its measures, and to examine whether they effectively address the phytosanitary risk of the import of that wood packaging material,