. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/N/EEC/24
24 December 2002
(02-7106)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:   European Commission
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:
European Commission,
EC-TBT Enquiry Point,
Fax : 003222995725,
E-mail: ec-tbt@cec.eu.int
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [    ], 5.7.1 [    ], other:           
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   Forest reproductive
material
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Draft Commission
Decision authorising Member States to ta ke decisions under Directive 1999/105/EC on
forest reproductive material produced in third countries, 9 p., EN
6. Description of content:   Provides that Member States are authorised to take decisions in
respect of imports of forest reproductive material produced in third countries. The countries,
the species, the categories and the types of basic material are established.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
Pursuant to Article 19(1) of Directive 1999/ 105/EC on the marketing of forest reproductive
material, the Council on a proposal from the Commission is to determine whether forest
reproductive material produced in a third country affords the same assurances as regards the
approval of its basic material and the measures taken for its production with a view to
marketing as does forest reproductive material produced within the European Communities
and complying with the provisions of that Directive. However, the information presently
available on the conditions applying in third co untries is still not sufficient to enable the
European  Communities to make any such decision in respect of any third country.Therefore, in order to prevent trade patterns from being disrupted, Member States should be
authorised to take such decisions. Such auth orisation aims to ensure that the material
imported offers equivalent guarantees to those applicable to forest reproductive material
produced in the European Communities in accordance with that Directive.G/TBT/N/EEC/24
Page 2
The measure is urgent as the Council Directive 1999/105/EC enters into force on 1 January
2003. The authorisation in question will expire on 31 December 2005.
8. Relevant documents:   Doc. SANCO/2734/2002 rev 2
9. Proposed date of adoption:  15 February 2002
Proposed date of entry into force:  From the date of the decisions taken by the Member
states pursuant to the Commission decision (the Member states shall immediately notify the
Commission and other Member states of the de cision taken pursuant to the decision, and of
any withdrawal of such decisions)
10. Final date for comments:   31 January 2003
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [   ] or address, telephone and fax
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:
European Commission,
EC-TBT Enquiry Point,
Fax : 0032 2 299 80 43
E-mail : ec-tbt@cec.eu.int