. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/N/FRA/23
14 March 2003
(03-1489)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original: French
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  FRANCE
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:   Ministry of Public Works, Transport, Housing, Tourism and the
Sea – Directorate-General of Town Planning, Housing and Construction – Arche
Sud- 92055 – La Défense Cedex.
Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industr y – Directorate-General of Energy and Raw
Materials – 61 boulevard Vincent Auriol – 75703 – Paris Cedex 13.
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:           
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):
Products that have an impact on the thermal characteristics of a building.          
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:
1. Order amending the Order of 29 November 2000 on the Thermal Characteristics of
New Buildings and New Parts of Buildings. (22 pages).
2. Amendment of the Annexes to the Order of 1 December 2000 Approving the Th-C
and Th-E Calculation Methods Specified in Articles 4 and 5 of the Order of 29 November
2000 on the Characteristics of New Buildings and New Pa rts of Buildings. (32 pages).          
6. Description of content:
These regulations establish the energy performance requirements for new buildings.
The amending Orders aim to:
(a) Correct inaccuracies and errors previously pointed out by users.
(b) Supplement the rules for calculating conventional energy consumption,
mainly to take into account certain forms of renewable energy (wood-fired
boilers and thermal solar systems).
It should also be noted that Articles 6 an d 7 of the amended Order of 29 November 2000,G/TBT/N/FRA/23
Page 2
6. Description of content: (cont'd)
regarding justification of the thermal performance of construction products used, conform
with the Articles 6 and 7 previously notified and registered by the European Commission on
28 March 2002 under number 2002/0136/F.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:   
The thermal regulations aim to fulfil the commitments undertaken by France since
signing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),particularly the Kyoto Agreement of November 1997 setting greenhouse gas emission
reduction targets for the various signatory countries.
An energy performance requirement for new buildings that takes particular account
of certain forms of renewable energy partly responds to the objectives of European
Parliament and Council Directive 2002/91/CE of 16 December 2002 on the energy
performance of buildings.
8. Relevant documents:   Decree on the thermal characteristics of buildings, amending the
Construction and Housing Code and adopted pursuant to Law No. 96-1236 of December
1996 on air and the rational use of energy.          
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force: }June 2003June 2003
10. Final date for comments:   End of May 2003          
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:
National Enquiry Point
CINORTECH
AFNOR
11, avenue Francis de Pressensé93571 SAINT-DENIS-LA PLAINE Cedex