. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/BEL/7
13 May 2002
(02-2628)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  French
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  BELGIUM
If applicable, name of local government involved:
2. Agency responsible:
Ministry of Social Affairs, Public Health and the Environment
General Inspectorate of Foodstuffs
CAE - Esplanade - 11th floor
Boulevard Pachéco 19/5B-1010 Brussels
Tel.:  (322) 210-4843
Fax:  (322) 210-4816
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where
applicable).  Food packaging with surface coatings (for example, canned food packaging).
Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  All
countries which export canned foodstuffs in packaging with surface coatings.
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Royal Decree Amending the Royal
Decree of 11 May 1992 on Materials and Articles Intended to Come into Contact with
Foodstuffs  (60 pages).
5. Description of content:  The draft aims to introduce a supplementary Annex to the Royal
Decree of 11 May 1992 on materials and articles intended to come into contact with
foodstuffs with a view to regulating the placing on the market of surface coatings intended
for use in contact with foodstuffs. This draft is based on the work developed within the
Council of Europe and contained in Resolution AP (96) 5. This draft takes into account onlythose substances duly assessed by the European Union's Scientific Committee and
contained in the first part of the Annex to the Resolution. This list of substances shall be
adapted according to new directives and new tests carried out by the EU Scientific
Committee for Food and their possible use within the surface coating industry.
6. Objective and rationale: [  X ] food safety,  [    ] animal health,  [   ] plant protection,
[ X ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [   ] protect territory from
other damage from pests
7. An international standard, guideline or recommendation does not exist [  X ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:G/SPS/N/BEL/7
Page 2
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Royal Decree
amending the Royal Decree of 11 May 1992 on materials and articles intended to come into
contact with foodstuffs (60 pages).  Available in French and Dutch.  Abstracts are available
in all EU languages. To be published in the "Moniteur Belge" (Official Journal) of the
Kingdom of Belgium when adopted.
9. Proposed date of adoption:
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  Immediately after publication.
11. Final date for comments:  60 days after the notification date.
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [     ] National notification
authority, [  X ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:
12. Texts available from: [     ] National notification authority, [  X ] National enquiry point
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
Belgian Standards Institute (IBN)
Avenue de la Brabançonne 29
B-1040 Brussels
Tel.:  (322) 734-9205
Fax:  (322) 733-4264
E-mail:  tonneaux@ibn.be ;  cibelnor@ibn.be
Ministry of Social Affairs, Public Health and the Environment
General Inspectorate of FoodstuffsCAE - Esplanade - 11
th floor
Boulevard Pachéco 19/5
B-1010  Brussels
Tel.:  (322) 210-4843
Fax:  (322) 210-4816E-mail:  Thierry.Terwagne@health.fgov.be