25.2. 80 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 51/1 (Acts whose publication is not obligatory) COUNCIL 7 COUNCIL DIRECTIVE of 15 January 1980 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the ranges of nominal quantities and nominal capacities permitted for certain prepackaged products (80/232/EEC) . THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 100 thereof, : Having regard to the proposél from the Commission (1), Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (2), Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (3), Whereas Council Directive 76/211/EEC of 20 January 1976 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making-up by weight or by volume of certain prepackaged products (¥) specifies the tolerable negative errors in the contents of such prepackages, together with the markings and methods of control to be applied to such prepackages for them to circulate throughout the Community; Whereas, however, the said Directive does not remove all the barriers to trade in prepackaged products which (1) O] No C 193, 18. 8. 1976, p. 3. (2) OJ No C 30, 7. 2. 1977, p. 34. (3) OJ No C 114, 11. 5. 1977, p. 30. * O J No L 46, 21. 2. 1976, p. 1. result from differences in the laws on the metrological properties of such products; whereas, in particular, the Member States have different provisions concerning the volume or weight of such products; whereas such provisions must therefore be approximated; Whereas, for a given product, the number of quantities which are so close to each other that they risk confusing the consumer should be reduced as far as possible, in the interests of greater market transparency; Whereas these reductions should concern both the containers of prepackaged goods and products which are sold by weight or by volume; Whereas Article 16 of Council Directive 71/316/EEC of 26 July 1971 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to common provisions for both measuring instruments and methods of metrological control (5), as amended by the Accession Treaty (°), provides that harmonization of the requirements for marketing certain products, in particular as regards the prescription of certain prepacked quantities, may be covered by separate Directives, (5) OJ No L 202, 6. 9. 1971, p. 1. (®) OJ No L 73,27.3.1972, p. 4.