G/TBT/N/EU/668  
12 July 2019  
(19-6884) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  EUROPEAN UNION   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:  European Commission  
Name and  address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
European Commission  
EU-TBT Enquiry Point  
Fax: +(32) 2 299 80 43  
E-mail: grow-eu-tbt@ec.europa.eu  
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools -databases/tbt/en/   
3. Notified under Artic le 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [  ], 5.6.2 [X], 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):  Articles 
made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) containi ng lead and lead compounds.  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Draft 
Commission Regulation amending Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and 
Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) as regards lead and its compounds (6 pages + Annex 
4 pages, in English)  
6. Description of content:  This draft Regulation would amend entry 63 to Annex XVII to 
Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006.  
It would prohibit the use of lead and lead compounds in articles produced from polymers 
or copolymers of vinyl chloride as well as their placing on the market in articles produced 
from PVC if the concentration of lead (expressed as metal) is equal to or greater tha n 
0.1% by weight of the PVC material. Time -limited exemptions from this limit are provided 
for rigid and flexible recycled PVC material and for PVC -silica separators in lead acid 
batteries.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent proble ms where 
applicable:  To reduce releases of lead during the service life of PVC articles thereby 
contributing to reducing direct and indirect exposure to lead, a toxic metal  G/TBT/N/EU/668  
 
- 2 - 
 
  8. Relevant documents:   
• Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament an d of the Council on 
the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals 
(REACH  Regulation):  http://eur -lex.europa.eu/legal -
content/EN /TXT/?qid=1423064258789&uri=CELEX:32006R1907  
• Annex XV dossier for restriction and opinions of ECHA Committees  
9. Proposed date of adoption:  3rd quarter of 2019  
Proposed date of entry into force:  20 days from publication in the Official Journal of 
the EU. Application of the restriction on the placing of the market of the articles would be 
deferred for 24 months after entry into force.  
10. Final  date for comments:  60 days from notification  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
European Commission  
EU-TBT Enquiry Point  
Fax: + (32) 2 299 80 43  
E-mail: grow-eu-tbt@ec.europa.eu  
The text is available on the EU -TBT Website:  
http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools -databases/tbt/en/  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/TBT/EEC/19_3906_01_e.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/TBT/EEC/19_3906_00_e.pdf