. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/Notif.00/282
9 June 2000
(00-2310)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   THE NETHERLANDS
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:   Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and
Agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification shall be
indicated if different from above:   National Enquiry Point – EC WTO TBT Enquiry Point
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [    ], 5.7.1 [    ], other:           
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   Vinylchloride monomer
(VCM) and 1,2-dichloroethane (EDC).
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Regulation
Containing Limit Values for Certain Substa nces that Occur in Wastewater of VCM
Manufacturers (Regulation Concerning Limit Values for Wastewater of VCMmanufacturers)
6. Description of content:   The draft regulation aims to prevent and limit the pollution of
surface water by emissions caused by the production of s-PVC from VCM and EDC.  The
draft lays down limit values for wastewater with respect to the emitting onto the surface
water of this wastewater released during the above-mentioned production process.
The draft also contains regulations for the analysis, measuring and sampling of the released
wastewater.  The draft regulation serves to implement the Commission Decree of Oslo and
Paris of 23 July 1998, OSPAR Decree 98/4, concer ning the limit values for emissions to the
air and discharges of waste water for the production of vinylchloride monomer (VCM) as
well as the production of 1,2 dichloroethane (EDC).  The above-mentioned Decree is a
result of the Treaty on the protection of the marine environment in the northeastern sectionof the Atlantic Ocean, Paris, 22 September 1992. Notification of the Regulation to the EU is
necessary since not all Member States of the EU are party to the above-mentioned
international treaty.  The draft only implements that part of the OSPAR Decree 98/4 that isconcerned with discharges of waste water.  The establishment of emission limits for
emissions to the air will take place in a different context
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
Significant quantities of organohalogens can be emitted to the environment from the Vinyl
Chloride Industry, in which, among other things, the production of s-PVC from VCM takesplace.  This has a negative effect on the marine environment, which the Decree in questionserves to protect against.  When wastewater released during the production of VCM and
EDC is discharged onto surface water, the limit values laid down in the Decree may not beG/TBT/Notif.00/282
Page 2
exceeded. If the draft contains quantitative import limits or similar measures within the
meaning of Article 30 of the EC Treaty, these measures are justified for the protection of the
surface water.
8. Relevant documents:
- Act on the pollution of surface waters, article 1a (Bulletin of Acts and Decrees 
1969, 536)
- OSPAR Decree 98/4 on limit values for emissions and discharges during the
production of vinylchloride monomer (VCM), including the production of 1,2dichloroethane (DCE).
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force: }1 July 2000
10. Final date for comments:   7 June 2000
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ X] or address, e-mail and telefax
number of the other body: