Classification of wood in the rough

PURPOSE : to repeal Directive 68/89/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States concerning the classification of wood in the rough.

PROPOSED ACT : Decision of the European Parliament and of the Council.

CONTENT : Community policies on better regulation stress the importance of simplification of national and European legislation. The Commission has reviewed the implementation and application of Council Directive 68/89/EEC, adopted on 23rd January 1968, on the approximation of the laws of the Member States concerning the classification of wood in the rough. It has concluded that the legislation should be repealed. Results of a survey by the Commission show that the Directive is not applied to the timber trade. The main reasons mentioned by Member States and industry for not applying the Directive were the following:

- the methods of measurement and classification provided by the Directive differ from the methods applied by enterprises in the sector;

- the classifications by dimensions and by quality provided by the Directive are not detailed enough and are too abstract;

- the classifications provided by the Directive do not take into account the intended uses of wood and are not adapted to market needs;

- European standards for quality and measurement are considered a better option.

Based on the results of this survey, it seems clear that the Directive does not have general application.

Directive 68/89/EEC is not necessary for internal market trade or trade with third countries and no obstacle to trade resulting from the used methods of measurement or classification has been noted in the sector concerned. Therefore, it was decided not to replace the Directive by other legislative measures or to modify it.

The Commission proposes the repeal of the Directive with effect from 31December 2008.

It is important that the repeal of Directive 68/89/EEC be followed by the repeal of the corresponding national implementing measures, in order to have the desired practical effect. The mark “EEC classified” will no longer be available for use.