(1)

By Commission Regulation (EC) No 690/2008 of 4 July 2008 recognising protected zones exposed to particular plant health risks in the Community (2) certain Member States or certain areas in Member States were recognised as protected zones in respect of certain harmful organisms.

(2)

By Regulation (EC) No 690/2008 certain parts of the Veneto region in Italy were recognised as a protected zone with respect to the harmful organism Erwinia amylovora (Burr.) Winsl. et al. until 31 March 2010.

(3)

Following observations regarding the presence of that harmful organism in certain parts of the Veneto region made by the Commission during an inspection in Italy from 31 August to 11 September 2009, Italy informed the Commission on 23 October 2009 of the results of the latest survey carried out in the Veneto region for the presence of that harmful organism in September and October 2009. The results of this latest survey show that in the province of Venice there are 14 places, in which that harmful organism has been occurring for a period of at least the last three successive years in spite of the eradication measures taken by the Italian authorities. Consequently, those measures have proved to be ineffective.

(4)

The latest survey results were discussed during the meeting of the Standing Committee on Plant Health on 19-20 October 2009. It was concluded that Erwinia amylovora (Burr.) Winsl. et al. has to be considered as established in the province of Venice. That province should therefore no longer be recognised as a protected zone in respect of that harmful organism.

(5)

Regulation (EC) No 690/2008 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(6)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plant Health,

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and, until 31 March 2010, Ireland, Italy (Apúlia, Emilia-Romagna (the provinces of Parma and Piacenza), Lombardy (except the province of Mantua), Veneto (except the provinces of Rovigo and Venice, the communes Castelbaldo, Barbona, Piacenza d’Adige, Vescovana, S. Urbano, Boara Pisani and Masi in the province of Padova and the area situated to the South of highway A4 in the province of Verona)), Lithuania, Slovenia (except the regions Gorenjska, Koroška, Maribor and Notranjska), Slovakia (except the communes of Blahová, Horné Mýto and Okoč (Dunajská Streda County), Hronovce and Hronské Kľačany (Levice County), Málinec (Poltár County), Hrhov (Rožňava County), Veľké Ripňany (Topoľčany County), Kazimír, Luhyňa, Malý Horeš, Svätuše and Zatín (Trebišov County))’.