L 332/42 Official Journal of the European Communities 4. 12. 97 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COMMISSION COMMISSION DECISION of 25 November 1997 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 (97/809/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 ma- terial ('), 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 repro- ductive material marketed within the Community (%), 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 () OJ 125, 11. 7. 1966, p. 2326/66. () OJ L 87, 17. 4. 1971, p. 14. reproductive material and which conforms to the provi- sions of the abovementioned Directives; Whereas the Member States should therefore be author- ized to permit, for a limited period, the marketing of reproductive material of the relevant species which satis- fies less stringent requirements to cover the shortage of reproductive material satisfying the requirements of Directive 66/404/EEC and 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 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 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 require- ments in respect of specific purity as laid down in Dir- ective 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, Horti- culture and Forestry,