Article 12
1. Acceptance shall be valid until the end of the tenth calendar year following acceptance. Acceptance of the varieties by the authorities of the former German Democratic Republic prior to German unification shall be valid until the end of the tenth calendar year at the latest following their entry in the catalogue of varieties drawn up by the Federal Republic of Germany in accordance with Article 3(1). 2. Acceptance of a variety may be renewed at given intervals if it is still cultivated on such a scale as to justify this, or should be retained in the interest of conserving plant genetic resources, and providing that the requirements as to distinctness, uniformity and stability, or the criteria determined under Article 20(2) and (3), are still satisfied. Except in the case of plant genetic resources within the meaning of Article 20 applications for renewal shall be submitted not later than two years before expiry of acceptance. 3. The period of validity of acceptance shall be extended provisionally until a decision is taken on the application for renewal.