COMMISSION DECISION of 12 December 1995  authorizing Member States to permit temporarily the marketing of forest reproductive material not  satisfying the requirements of Council Directives 66/404/EEC and 71/161/EEC (95/554/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 Council Directive 71/161/EEC of 30 March 1971 on external quality standards for  forest reproductive material marketed within the Community  (2), 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 Directives 66/404/EEC and 71/161/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 Directives;
Whereas the Member States should therefore be authorized to permit, for a limited period, the  marketing of reproductive material of the revelant species which satisfies less stringent  requirements to cover the shortage of reproductive material satisfying the requirements of  Directive 66/404/EEC or 71/161/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 marked 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 authorized to permit the marketing in its  territory of seeds and plants which satisfy less stringent requirements in respect of provenance,  as laid down in Directive 66/404/EEC, or seed which satisfies less stringent requirements in  respect of specific purity as laid down in Directive 71/161/EEC, if the marketing of such material  has been authorized in the other Member States under 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,
1.  Member States are authorized to permit the marketing in their  territory of seed which does not satisfy the requirements in respect of provenance in Directive  66/404/EEC on the terms set out in Annex I hereto and on condition that the proof specified in  Article 2 is furnished with regard to the place of provenance of the seed and the altitude at which  it was collected.
2.  Member States are authorized to permit the marketing in their territory of plants produced in  the Community from the abovementioned seed.
1.  The proof referred to in Article 1  (1) and 4 shall be deemed to be furnished where  the reproductive material is of the category 'source identified reproductive material` as defined  in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) scheme for the control of  forest reproductive material moving in international trade, or of another category defined in that  scheme.
2.  Where the OECD scheme referred to in paragraph 1 is not used at the place of provenance of the  reproductive material, other official evidence shall be admissible.
3.  Where official evidence cannot be provided, Member states may accept other non-official  evidence.
Member States are authorized on the terms set out in Annex II hereto, to permit the  marketing in their territory of seed which does not satisfy the requirements relating to specific  purity in Annex I to Directive 71/161/EEC, provided that the document required pursuant to Article  9 of Directive 66/404/EEC bears the wording:
'Seed not satisfying the standards in respect of specific purity`.
Member States are authorized on the terms set out in Annex III hereto, to permit the  marketing in their territory of reproductive material which neither satisfies the requirements in  respect of provenance in Directive 66/404/EEC nor the requirements relating to specific purity in  Annex I to Directive 71/161/EEC, on condition that:
-  the proof specified in Article 2 is furnished with regard to the place of provenance of the seed  and the altitude at which it was collected, and -  the document required pursuant to Article 9 of Directive 66/404/EEC bears the wording:
'Seed not satisfying the standards in respect of specific purity`.
The Member States other than the applicant Member States are also authorized to permit,  on the terms set out in Annexes I, II and III respectively and for the purposes intended by the  applicant Member States, the marketing in their territory of the seeds and plants authorized to be  marketed under this Decision.
The authorizations provided for in Articles 1  (1), 3 and 4 in so far as they concern  the first placing of forest reproductive material on the market of the Community, shall expire on  30 November 1996. Such authorizations, in so far as they concern subsequent placing on the market  of the Community, shall expire on 31 December 1998.
With regard to the first placing on the market of forest reproductive material, as  referred to in Article 6, Member states shall immediately notify the Commission and the other  Member States of the quantities of such material satisfying less stringent requirements which have  been approved for marketing in their territory under this Decision.
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.