Source: European Commission, DG Health and Consumer Protection, Plant Health

Council Directive 2002/53/EC of 13 June 2002 on the common catalogue of varieties of agricultural plant species and Council Directive 2002/55/EC of 13 June 2002 on the marketing of vegetable seed lay down the legislative basis for the common catalogue of varieties of agricultural plant species and the common catalogue of varieties of vegetable species respectively. These catalogues are established on the basis of information received from the Member States and published in the Official Journal. They list those varieties whose seed is subject to no marketing restrictions within the Community as regards variety. Varieties must meet standards, notably pertaining to distinctness, uniformity, stability and, in the case of agriculture, value for cultivation and use in order to be listed. In the case of varieties of agricultural plant species, their satisfactory value for cultivation and use is based on yields, resistance to harmful organisms, behaviour with respect to factors in the physical environment and quality characteristics.

• Commission Regulation (EC) No 930/2000 of 4 May 2000 establishing implementing rules as to the suitability of the denominations of varieties of agricultural plant species and vegetable species
  Official Journal L 108, 05/05/2000 p. 3 - 6
  • as amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1831/2004
     
• Council Directive 2002/53/EC of 13 June 2002 on the common catalogue of varieties of agricultural plant species
  Official Journal L 193, 20/07/2002 p. 1 - 11
   
• Council Directive 2002/55/EC of 13 June 2002 on the marketing of vegetable seed
  Official Journal L 193, 20/07/2002 p. 33 - 59
  • as amended by Council Directive 2004/117/EC
     
• 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 (Text with EEA relevance)
  Official Journal L 254, 08/10/2003 p. 7 - 10
   
• 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 (Text with EEA relevance)
  Official Journal L 254, 08/10/2003 p. 11 - 13
   
• Commission Decision 2004/297/EC of 29 March 2004 authorising the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia to postpone the application of certain provisions of Council Directives 2002/53/EC and 2002/55/EC with regard to the marketing of seeds of certain varieties (notified under document number C(2004) 962) (Text with EEA relevance)
  Official Journal L 097 , 01/04/2004 P. 66 - 67
   
• Commission Decision 2004/842/EC of 1 December 2004 concerning implementing rules whereby Member States may authorise the placing on the market of seed belonging to varieties for which an application for entry in the national catalogue of varieties of agricultural plant species or vegetable species has been submitted (notified under document number C(2004) 4493) (Text with EEA relevance)
  Official Journal L 362 , 09/12/2004 P. 21 - 27