THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Council Directive 2002/53/EC of 13 June 2002 on the common catalogue of varieties of agricultural plant species(1), and in particular Article 7(2)(a) and (b) thereof,
Having regard to Council Directive 2002/55/EC of 13 June 2002 on the marketing of vegetable seed(2), and in particular Article 7(2)(a) and (b) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Commission Directives 2003/90/EC(3) and 2003/91/EC(4) were adopted to ensure that the varieties the Member States include in their national catalogues comply with the protocols established by the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) as regards the characteristics to be covered as a minimum by the examination of the various species and the minimum conditions for examining the varieties, as far as such protocols had been established. For the species not covered by CPVO protocols those Directives provide that guidelines of the International Union for Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) are to apply.
(2) Since the last amendment to Directives 2003/90/EC and 2003/91/EC by Implementing Directive (EU) 2018/100(5) the CPVO and UPOV have established further protocols and guidelines and have updated existing ones.
(3) Directives 2003/90/EC and 2003/91/EC should therefore be amended accordingly.
(4) The measures provided for in this Directive are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
Commission Directive 2003/90/EC of 6 October 2003 setting out implementing measures for the purposes of Article 7 of Council Directive 2002/53/EC as regards the characteristics to be covered as a minimum by the examination and the minimum conditions for examining certain varieties of agricultural plant species (OJ L 254, 8.10.2003, p. 7).
Commission Directive 2003/91/EC of 6 October 2003 setting out implementing measures for the purposes of Article 7 of Council Directive 2002/55/EC as regards the characteristics to be covered as a minimum by the examination and the minimum conditions for examining certain varieties of vegetable species (OJ L 254, 8.10.2003, p. 11).
Commission Implementing Directive (EU) 2018/100 of 22 January 2018 amending Directives 2003/90/EC and 2003/91/EC setting out implementing measures for the purposes of Article 7 of Council Directive 2002/53/EC and Article 7 of Council Directive 2002/55/EC respectively, as regards the characteristics to be covered as a minimum by the examination and the minimum conditions for examining certain varieties of agricultural plant species and vegetable species (OJ L 17, 23.1.2018, p. 34).