G/TBT/N/EU/1055  
7 March 2024  
(24-2126) 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 Comm ission,  
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 Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [  ], 5.6.2 [  ], 5.7.1 [  ], 3.2 [  ], 7.2 [  ], 
other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  fertilising 
products  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Draft 
Commission  Delegated Regulation amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council as regards biodegradability criteria for coating agents and 
water retention polymers; (6 page(s), in English), (5 page(s), in English)  
6. Description of  content:  EU fertilising products may contain coating agents and water 
retention polymers, materials belonging to Component Material Category 9. The 
delegated Regulation sets out the biodegradation criteria and the testing methods which 
have to be used to show compliance with such criteria. The biodegradability criteria cover 
the biodegradation both in soil and in aquatic environments.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  The objective is to ensure a high level of protection of human health and the 
environment. By laying down biodegradability requirements for polymers in EU fertilising 
products to be applied to soils, the accumulation in the environment of intentionally added 
microplastics is avoided; Protection of human health or safety; Protection of the 
environment  G/TBT/N/EU/1055  
 
- 2 - 
 
  8. Relevant documents:   
Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 
laying down rules on the making available on the market of EU fertilising products 
available here:  
https://eur -lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/1009/oj  
Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2055 amending Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 
1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the Registration, 
Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) as regards synthetic 
polymer microparticles (OJ L 238, 27.9.2023, p. 67, ELI: 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/2055/oj ). 
Study to assess biodegradability criteria for polymers used in EU fert ilising products as 
coating agents or to increase the water retention capacity or wettability and of mulch 
films, available here: Circabc (europa.eu)  
9. Proposed date of adoption:  July 2024  
Proposed date of entry into force:  20 days from publication in the Official Journal of 
the EU  
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/to ols-
databases/tbt/en/  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2024/TBT/EEC/24_01919_00_e.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2024/TBT/EEC/24_01919_01_e.pdf