98/640/EC: Commission Decision of 13 October 1998 authorising the Member States to permit temporarily the marketing of forest reproductive material not satisfying the requirements of Council Directive 66/404/EEC [notified under document number C(1998) 3105]

COMMISSION DECISION of 13 October 1998 authorising the Member States to permit temporarily the marketing of forest reproductive material not satisfying the requirements of Council Directive 66/404/EEC (notified under document number C(1998) 3105) (98/640/EC)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Directive 66/404/EEC of 14 June 1966 on the marketing of forest reproductive material (1), as last amended by the Act of Accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden and in particular Article 15 thereof,
Having regard to the requests submitted by certain Member States,
Whereas production of reproductive material of the species set out in the Annexes is at present insufficient in all Member States with the result that their requirements for reproductive material conforming to the provisions of Directive 66/404/EEC cannot be met;
Whereas third countries are not in a position to supply sufficient reproductive material of the relevant species which can afford the same guarantees as Community reproductive material and which conforms to the provisions of the abovementioned Directive;
Whereas the Member States should therefore be authorised to permit, for a limited period, the marketing of reproductive material of the relevant species which satisfies less stringent requirements to cover the shortage of reproductive material satisfying the requirements of Directive 66/404/EEC;
Whereas, for genetic reasons, the reproductive material must be collected at places of origin within the natural range of the relevant species and the strictest possible guarantees should be given to ensure the identity of the material;
Whereas, furthermore, reproductive material should be marketed only if it is accompanied by a document bearing certain details of the reproductive material in question;
Whereas each of the Member States should furthermore be authorised to permit the marketing in its territory of seed which satisfies less stringent requirements in respect of provenance, or, in the case of reproductive material of Populus nigra, in respect of the category, as laid down in Directive 66/404/EEC, if the marketing of such material has been authorised in the other Member States pursuant to this Decision;
Whereas the measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Seeds and Propagating Material for Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry,