(1)

In 2021, several Member States notified the Commission of the officially confirmed presence, in consignments of plants, plant products and other objects originating from third countries, of pests which are not listed as a Union quarantine pest, as a protected zone quarantine pest or as a Union regulated non-quarantine pest in accordance with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072 (2) and are not regulated under Article 30(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031.

(2)

On the basis of data from preliminary risk assesments or risk analyses carried out so far by competent authorities and organisations, the Commission concludes that those pests fulfil the criteria set out in Subsection 2 of Section 3 of Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2016/2031.

(3)

Chloridea virescens, Leucinodes orbonalis, Leucinodes pseudorbonalis, Resseliella citrifrugis and Spodoptera ornithogalli are amongst the pests for which actions under Article 29(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031 have been taken by competent authorities. Those pests have been intercepted several times at Union borders and they are not known to be present in the Union territory.

(4)

A preliminary risk assessment for Chloridea virescens (3) and a pest risk analysis for American Spodoptera species, which includes Spodoptera ornithogalli (4), have been performed by the Netherlands for the Union territory. Both conclude that those pests fulfill the criteria for quarantine pests set out in Section 1 of Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2016/2031, as regards the Union territory. However, further risk assessment is required to support their inclusion in Annex II to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072.

(5)

On the basis of pest categorizations performed by the European Food Safety Authority (‘the Authority’) for Leucinodes orbonalis (5) and Leucinodes pseudorbonalis (6), those pests fulfill the criteria for quarantine pests set out in Section 1 of Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2016/2031, as regards the Union territory. However, uncertainties concerning their impact due to climatic suitability have been pointed out. Further assessment of the climatic suitability, the assessment of the effect of climate change on the establishment of those pests in the Union and their subsequent impact is ongoing.

(6)

On the basis of pest categorisation performed by the Authority, Resseliella citrifrugis (7) fulfills the criteria for quarantine pests set out in Section 1 of Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2016/2031, as regards the Union territory. Currently, further risk assessment is ongoing regarding the entry and spread pathways of this pest.

(7)

Those pests have been intercepted multiple times at the Union borders and large volumes of their host plants continue to be imported from countries where those pests are known to be present, while they present a high phytosanitary risk for the Union territory. It is therefore considered that there exists an imminent danger of entry of those pests into the Union territory. It is thus appropriate to take the measure of temporary prohibition of their entry into the Union until their full risk analyses have been carried out. Those pests should also be subject to risk-based surveys concerning their signs or symptoms as set out in Article 22(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/2031.

(8)

This Regulation should apply for a sufficient length of time to allow for the completion of those risk assessments and analyses.

(9)

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