Protected zones are zones within the Community which receive, at the request of the Member State(s) concerned, special protection against the introduction of one or more of the harmful organisms listed in Directive 2000/29/EC. They are protected due to the absence of the specified harmful organism, despite the fact that environmental conditions in the protected zone are favourable for its establishment.

In some cases the specified harmful organism is present in the protected zone but is under eradication. A protected zone may comprise an entire Member State or cover only part of its territory and each zone is defined separately in relation to each particular harmful organism.

The relevant Member States must ensure that the specified harmful organism(s) remain absent from the protected zones, by following appropriate Community measures and carrying out annual surveys.

The additional protection afforded to protected zones includes:

• An additional list of harmful organisms whose introduction into and spread within protected zones is to be prevented (listed in Annexes I.B and II.B)
• An additional list of plants and plant products whose introduction into protected zones is prohibited (listed in Annex III.B)
• An additional list of specific requirements which must be met by certain plants, plant products or other objects if they are to be moved to and within a protected zone (listed in Annex IV.B)

 Legislation

• Recognition of protected zones :
  Commission Directive 2001/32/EC of 8 May 2001 recognising protected zones exposed to particular plant health risks in the Community and repealing Directive 92/76/EEC
  
  NEW - Decision C(2004) 1582 final



• Procedures for surveys to establish protected zone status for an area/country



• Movement of certain plants, and plant products and other objects within and through protected zones