Commission Regulation (EC) No 1862/2004 of 26 October 2004 laying down the marketing standard applicable to watermelons

28.10.2004 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 325/17
COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1862/2004
of 26 October 2004
laying down the marketing standard applicable to watermelons
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 of 28 October 1996 on the common organisation of the market in fruit and vegetables (1), and in particular Article 2(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Watermelons are among the products listed in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 for which standards must be adopted. Commission Regulation (EC) No 1093/97 of 16 June 1997 laying down marketing standards applicable to watermelons (2), has been amended several times. For the sake of clarity, Regulation (EC) No 1093/97 should therefore be repealed and replaced, as from 1 January 2005, by a new Regulation.
(2) To that end, and in the interest of preserving transparency on the world market, account should be taken of the UN/ECE standard FFV-37 concerning marketing and quality control of watermelons recommended by the Working party on agricultural quality standards of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) as well as its recent amendments.
(3) Application of the new standards should remove products of unsatisfactory quality from the market, bring production into line with consumer requirements and facilitate trade based on fair competition, thereby helping to improve profitability.
(4) The standards are applicable at all marketing stages. Long-distance transport, storage over a certain period and the various processes the products undergo may cause some degree of deterioration owing to the biological development of the products or their perishable nature. Account should be taken of such deterioration when applying the standard at the marketing stages following dispatch.
(5) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables,