. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/EEC/228 
18 December 2003 
 (03-6657) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved: 
2. Agency responsible:   Commission of the European Communities. Health & Consumer 
Protection Directorate-General  Directorate E – Food Safety: Plant Health, Animal Health and Welfare, International questions 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numbe r(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable):  Cereals (1001, 1002, 1003, 1004, 1005, 1006, 1007, 1008), foodstuffs of 
animal origin (0201, 0202, 0202, 0203, 0204, 0205, 0206, 0207, 0208, 0209, 0210) and certain products of plant origin , including fruit and vegetables.  
 The Integrated Tariff of the Community (TARIC) is available at:  
http://europa.eu.int/comm/taxati on_customs/databases/taric_en.htm
 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected , to the extent relevant or practicable:  
Member States of the European Communiti es (EC) and third countries exporting the 
products concerned to the EC.  
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:   Commission Directive 
amending the Annexes to Council Directiv es 86/362/EEC, 86/363/EEC and 90/642/EEC as 
regards maximum residue levels for certain p esticides prohibited for use in the European 
Community (SANCO/10694/2002 Rev. 5, thirteen pages  ) 
6. Description of content:  In this draft Directive, MRLs for all uses are proposed to the limit 
of determination.  The reason is because the existing active substances: mercuric oxide, mercurous chloride (calomel), other i norganic mercury compounds, alkyl mercury 
compounds, alcoxyalkyl and aryl mercury compounds, aldrin, chlordane, dieldrin, HCH, hexachlorobenzene, camphechlor (toxaphene), ethylene oxide, nitrofen, 
1,2-dibromoethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, dinoseb  and binapacrylare pesticides are prohibited 
for using and placing on the market in the EC due to human health and environment safety reasons. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [ X ] plant protection, 
[  ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease,  [   ]  protect territory from other 
damage from pests:    
8. International standard, guideline or recommendation:  
[ X ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] Office International des Epizooties, 
[   ] International Plant Protection Convention, [   ] None  
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:   CODEX maximum resi due limits for some 
commodities exist for these substances.  T hose relevant were taken into account. G/SPS/N/EEC/228 
Page 2  
 
 9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:   
European Commission Document:  (SANCO/10694/2002 Rev. 5) at the moment, available 
only in EN.  When adopted it will be publishe d at the Official Journal available at:  
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/oj/index.html
 
10. Proposed date of adoption:   19 April 2004 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   19 January 2005 
12. Final date for comments:  Sixty (60) days after th e date of notification 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [ X ] EC notification authority, 
[   ] EC enquiry point, or address, fax nu mber and E-mail address (if available) of other 
body:    
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notifica tion authority, [ X ] EC enquiry point, or 
address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: