Brussels, 03/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - On 27 October, the European Commission sent a reasoned opinion to the Czech Republic for failing to transpose the directive on organisms harmful to plants by 1 January 2011. The directive provides for laboratory testing on the detection of pests on plants, a task generally reserved for accredited national laboratories, to be delegated to universities, research institutes or private laboratories. By widening the scope of organisations that are allowed to carry out such tests, the directive ultimately aims to improve the EU's ability to achieve early detection of pests which may affect plants. The Czech Republic has two months in which to comply with the Commission's requirements, after which time, if non-compliance with EU legislation persists, the Commission may decide to refer the Czech Republic to the EU's Court of Justice. (LC/transl.jl)