Whereas the production of ornamental plants occupies an important place in the agriculture of the Community;

Whereas satisfactory results in the cultivation of ornamental plants depend to a large extent on the quality and health of the material used for their propagation;

Whereas the establishment of harmonised conditions at Community level will ensure that purchasers throughout the Community receive propagating material which is healthy and of good quality;

Whereas, so far as they relate to plant health, such harmonised conditions must be consistent with Council Directive 77/93/EEC of 21 December 1976 on protective measures against the introduction into the Member States of organisms harmful to plants or plant products and against their spread in the Community4;

Whereas it is appropriate to establish Community rules for all genera and species of ornamental plants in the Community, with the exception of those covered by Council Regulation (EC) No 338/97 of 9 December 1996 on the protection of species of wild fauna and flora by regulating trade therein5;

Whereas, without prejudice to the plant health provisions of Directive 77/93/EEC, it is not appropriate to apply the Community rules on the marketing of propagating material when it is shown that such material and plants are intended for export to third countries, as the rules applicable there may be different from those contained in this Directive;

Whereas the determination of plant health and quality standards for particular genus and species of ornamental plant requires lengthy and detailed technical and scientific consideration; whereas a procedure should accordingly be established for the determination of these standards;

Whereas in the first instance it is the responsibility of the suppliers of propagating material to ensure that their products fulfil the conditions laid down in this Directive;

Whereas the competent authorities of the Member States, when carrying out controls and inspections, should ensure that suppliers fulfil those conditions;

Whereas Community control measures should be introduced to ensure uniform application in all the Member States of the standards laid down in this Directive;

Whereas it is in the interests of the purchasers of propagating material that the names of varieties or of groups of plants be known and that their identity be safeguarded;

Whereas the characteristics specific to the industry operating in the ornamental plant sector are a complicating factor; whereas, accordingly, the objective stated above can best be achieved either through common knowledge of the variety or, in the case of varieties or groups of plants, through the availability of a description drawn up and kept by the suppliers;

Whereas, in order to ensure the identity and orderly marketing of propagating material, Community rules must be laid down concerning the separation of lots and marking; whereas the labels should give the particulars needed both for official control and for the information of the grower;

Whereas rules should be established permitting, in the case of temporary supply difficulties, the marketing of propagating material subject to requirements less stringent than those contained in this Directive;

Whereas provisions should be made for authorising the marketing, within the Community, of propagating material produced in third countries, provided always it affords equivalent guarantees in all respects to propagating material produced in the Community and complying with Community rules;

Whereas, in order to harmonise technical methods of examination used in the Member States and to compare propagating material produced in the Community with those produced in third countries, comparative trials should be carried out to check compliance of propagating material with the requirements of this Directive;

Whereas, in order to facilitate the effective operation of this Directive, the Commission should be entrusted with the task of adopting measures for its implementation; whereas such measures should be adopted by a procedure involving close cooperation between the Commission and the Member States within a Standing Committee for Propagating Material of Ornamental Plants;

Whereas Council Directive 91/682/EEC of 19 December 1991 on the marketing of ornamental plant propagating material and ornamental plants6 established harmonised conditions at Community level to ensure that purchasers throughout the Community receive propagating material and ornamental plants which are healthy and of good quality;

Whereas Member States have experienced difficulties in the interpretation and transposition of the said Directive;

Whereas the said Directive was considered to be suitable for inclusion in the SLIM Initiative (Simpler Legislation for the Internal Market) which was launched by the Commission in May 1996;

Whereas the Ornamental Plants SLIM team made various recommendations aimed at simplifying the said Directive; whereas those recommendations are contained in the Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the SLIM Initiative;

Whereas those recommendations related to the persons to be controlled by the said Directive, the species to be covered by that Directive, varietal authenticity, the interrelationship with Directive 77/93/EEC and third country equivalence;

Whereas, after consideration of those recommendations it is desirable to amend certain provisions of Directive 91/682/EEC; whereas given the number of such amendments, the said Directive should be recast in the interests of clarity,