19. 11. 97 Official Journal of the European Communities L 315/3 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2288/97 of 18 November 1997 laying down marketing standards for garlic 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 organization of the market in fruit and vegetables ('), and in particular Article 2 (2) thereof, Whereas garlic is listed in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 as one of the products for which standards must be adopted; whereas Council Regulation No 10/65/EEC of 26 January 1965 laying down common quality standards for garlic (¥, as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 888/97 (%), has been amended numerous times and is no longer legally clear; Whereas the rules concerned should be redrafted and Regulation No 10/65/EEC repealed; whereas, for the sake of transparency on the world market, account should be taken of the standards recommended for garlic by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe; Whereas, to facilitate trade in garlic, the Community standards of the presentation of the product should be simplified to make them less restrictive than the interna- tional standards recommended by the United Nations Economic Commission for Burope; Whereas the application of the standards should eliminate poor quality products from the market, direct garlic production to meet consumer requirements and facilitate trade on the basis of fair competition, so helping to improve profitability; Whereas the standards are applicable at all marketing stages; whereas transportation over large distances, storage for a certain period and the handling which the product undergoes may result in some deterioration owing to the product’s  biological development and perishability; whereas account must be taken of such deterioration when the standards are applied at the marketing stages following dispatch; whereas, since products in the ‘Extra’ Class must be sorted and packed with special care, al- lowance should be made only for some loss of freshness and turgidity; Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 1. The marketing standards for garlic falling within CN code 0703 20 00 shall be as set out in the Annex hereto. 2. The standards shall apply at all marketing stages in accordance with the conditions laid down in Regulation (EC) No 2200/96. At the stages following dispatch, however, the product may show, as against the standards: — a slight loss of freshness and turgidity, — slight deterioration in the case of garlic in classes other than ‘Extra’, owing to its development and per- ishability. Article 2 Regulation No 10/6S/EEC is hereby repealed. Article 3 This Regulation shall enter into force on 1 January 1998. This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. Done at Brussels, 18 November 1997. () OJ L 297, 21. 11. 1996, p. 1. () OJ 19, 5. 2. 1965, p. 246/65. () OJ L 126, 17. 5. 1997, p. 11. For the Commission Franz FISCHLER Member of the Commission