ARCHIVESHISTORIQUES
DELACOMMISSION
COLLECTION RELIEEDES
DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(82)874
Vol.1982/0267

Disclaimer
Conformément aurèglement(CEE,Euratom)n°354/83duConseildu1erfévrier1983
concernantl'ouvertureaupublicdesarchiveshistoriquesdelaCommunauté économique
européenne etdelaCommunauté européenne del'énergieatomique(JOL43du15.2.1983,
p.1),telquemodifiéparlerèglement(CE,Euratom)n°1700/2003du22septembre2003
(JOL243du27.9.2003,p.1),cedossierestouvertaupublic.Lecaséchéant,lesdocuments
classifiésprésentsdanscedossierontétédéclassifiés conformément àl'article5dudit
règlement.
Inaccordance withCouncilRegulation(EEC,Euratom)No354/83of1February1983
concerningtheopeningtothepublicofthehistoricalarchivesoftheEuropeanEconomic
Community andtheEuropeanAtomicEnergyCommunity (OJL43,15.2.1983,p.1),as
amendedbyRegulation(EC,Euratom)No1700/2003of22September2003(OJL243,
27.9.2003,p.1),thisfileisopentothepublic.Wherenecessary,classifieddocuments inthis
filehavebeendeclassified inconformitywithArticle5oftheaforementioned regulation.
InÜbereinstimmung mitderVerordnung(EWG,Euratom)Nr.354/83desRatesvom1.
Februar1983überdieFreigabederhistorischen ArchivederEuropäischen
Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft undderEuropäischen Atomgemeinschaft (ABI.L43vom15.2.1983,
S.1),geändertdurchdieVerordnung (EG,Euratom)Nr.1700/2003vom22.September2003
(ABI.L243vom27.9.2003,S.1),istdieseDateiderÖffentlichkeit zugänglich.Soweit
erforderlich,wurdendieVerschlusssachen indieserDateiinÜbereinstimmung mitArtikel5
dergenanntenVerordnungfreigegeben.

COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(82 )87^final
Brussels ,21December 1982
i
Proposal for a
COUNCIL REGULATION (ESC )
introducing quantitative restrictions ontheimports of
certain categories ofwood inFrance
(submitted totheCouncil bytheCommission )
A'"-r
^ . X?-Aίιr^
COM (82)87^final V

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM
Withtelexof7December1982,theFrenchgovernment hasinformedtheCommission
thatFrenchforestrywasseriouslyeffectedbythestormwhichoccurredon7no­
vember1982andthatthevolumeoftreesdestroyedordamaged,intwentydepart­
mentsparticularly inthe"massifcentral',reacheselevenmillioncubicmetres,
ofwhich80%wasresinous,representing morethanhalfoftheamountnormally
felledinafullyearinallofFrance;tomakeuseofthesetreeswillinvolve
aproduction ofsawnwoodwhichisestimatedat350000m3offirandspruceand
1000000m3ofotherconifers.
Especially asregardssawnwoodoffirandsprucethedistribution ofaquantity
of350000m3onarigidmarketwhichcombinesanexcessive supplyandanin­
elasticdemandcreatesconsiderable difficulties whicharelikelytoprovoke
seriousdisturbances inthatindustry;thesedifficulties ofdisposalalsorisk
hinderingtheuprootingofthesetreesthathavebeendestroyedthusendangering
thepreservation offorestintheregionsaffected.
Inordertoresolvetheconsequences ofthisnaturaldisastertheFrenchRepublic
introduced anurgentprogrammeinvolvingaidsfortheproducers concerned.
Thisprogrammeisnevertheless inadequate tosolvealltheaspectsoftheproblem
andinparticular toensurethedisposaloftheexcessquantityofsawnfirwood
onthemarket.
Inthesecircumstances theCommission proposestotheCounsiladerogation from
Regulation (EEC)No.288/82imposingcommonrulesforimportsfromthirdcountries
andRegulation (CEE)No.1765/82layingdowncommonrulesforimportsfromstate
tradingcountries,tomakeimportstoFranceoffirandsprucewoodsubjectto
quotauntil31December1983.
TheCommission proposesthatthisquotabefixedat1200000m3whichisapproci-
matelyequaltotheaverageimportsinFranceinthelastfiveyears<1500000m3)
minustheexcessquantity (350000m3).
Anappropriate draftregulation isattachedforapproval.

Proposalfora
COUNCILREGULATION (EEC)
introducingquantitative restrictions ontheimportsof
certaincategoriesofwoodinFrance
THECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEANCOMMUNITIES,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishing theEuropeanEconomicCommunity
andinparticularArticle113thereof;
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCommission;
WhereastheFrenchgovernment hasinformedtheCommissionthatFrench
forestrywasseri,ouslyaffectedbythestormwhichoccurredon7November
1982andthatthevolumeoftreesdestroyedordamaged,intwenty
departmentsparticularly inthe"massifcentral",reachelevenmillion
cubicmetres,ofwhich80%wasresinous,representing morethanhalfof
theamountnormallyfelledinafullyearinallofFrance;whereasto
makeuseofthesetreeswillinvolveaproductionofsawnwoodwhich
isestimatedat350000m3offirandspruceand1000000m3ofother
conifers;
Whereasespeciallyasregardssawnwoodoffirandsprucethedistribution
ofaquantityof350000m3onarigidmarketwhichcombinesanexcessive
supplyandaninelasticdemandcreatesconsiderable difficulties which
arelikelytoprovokeseriousdisturbances inthatindustry;whereas
thesedifficulties ofdisposalalsoriskhinderingtheuprootingof
thesetreesthathavebeendestroyedthusendangering thepreservation of
forestsintheregionsaffected;
Whereasinordertoresolvetheconsequences ofthisnaturaldisasterthe
FrenchRepublicintroduced anurgentprogrammeinvolvingaidsforthe
producersconcerned;
Whereasthisprogrammeisnevertheless inadequatetosolvealltheaspects
oftheproblemandinparticulartoensurethedisposaloftheexcess
quantityofsawnfirwoodonthemarket;

-2-
Whereasthesizeofthisnaturalcatastrophe anditsconsequences for
thesectorconcernedandthepreservation oftheforestsintheregions
affectedjustifiestheintroduction onanexceptional andtemporary
basisofquantitative restrictions onimportsintoFranceofsawnfir
andsprucewoodoriginating inthirdcountriesinderogation from
CouncilRegulation (EEC)No288/82(1)of5.2.1982establishing common
rulesforimportsfromthirdcountriesfromCouncilRegulation (EEC)N°1765/82(2)
30June.'1982layingdowncommonrulesforimportsfromstatetradingcountries;
Whereasinsettlingthesequantitative restrictions,theimportance
ofmaintainingtraditionaltradepatternsandcontractsconcluded
4previouslyundernormalconditionsshould,insofaraspossiblebetaken
intoaccount;
HASADOPTEDTHISREGULATION :
Article 1
InderogationfromCouncilRegulations (EEC)N°288/82andN1765/82,
importsintoFranceoftheproductslistedhereafteroriginating inand
comingfromthirdcountriesshallbesubjecttoaquotaof1200000m3:
CommonCustomsTariff NimexeCode Description ofgoods
HeadingNo
nc- ,, Firandsprucewoodsawnex44.05 44.05-ex40 , _7_.~_1,lengthwise,slicedorpeeled,
butnotfurtherprepared,of
athicknessexceeding5mm

Article 2
ImportswhichareintransittotheFrenchRepublicoreffectedpursuant
tocontractspreviously concludedundernormalconditions areexcluded
fromtheapplication oftherestrictions referredtoinArticle 1.
Article 3
ThisRegulationshallenterintoforceonthedayofitspublication in
theOfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities andshallexpireon
31December 1983.
ThisRegulationshallbebindinginitsentiretyanddirectlyapplicable
inallMemberStates.
DoneatBrussels,