G/TBT/W/555  
 
9 July 2018  
(18-4298) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
 THAILAND — DRAFT NOTIFICATION O F THE ALCOHOLIC BEVE RAGES CONTROL, RE: 
RULES, PROCEDURE AND  CONDITION FOR LABELS  OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAG ES,  
ISSUED UNDER B.E.  
STATEMENT BY THE EUR OPEAN UNION TO THE C OMMITTEE ON TECHNICA L BARRIERS TO TRADE  
20 AND 21 JUNE  2018  
The following communication, dated 9 July 2018, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of the European Union .  
 
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The European Union follows closely the developments and implementation of the R egulation on 1.  
Criteria, Pro cedures and Conditions for Labels of Alcoholic Beverages (B. E 2558/2015), applicable 
from 19 October 2015. Even if it regrets that the text of the Regulation itself has not been 
amended, t he European Union welcomes the revised version of the technical impl ementing 
guidelines published at the website of the Office of the Alcoholic Beverages Control Committee in 
April last year.  
The European Union welcomes the consultation with stakeholders organised by the National 2.  
Health Commission Office on 31 October 201 7 and the second consultation with civil society 
recently organised on 5 June 2018. However, the results of the two consultations have not been 
made public and the European Union would like to have updated information on how comments 
have been or will be t aken into consideration. In particular, the European Union would like to have 
information on whether any recommendation is planned as regards the review of the technical 
implementing guidelines.  
As stated in previous TBT Committee meetings and in the writ ten comments submitted in 3.  
2015, the European Union is concerned with the strict labelling requirements included in the 
Regulation and with the lack of clarity of the provisions relating to the messages permitted on the 
label, which may lead to inconsistent  interpretations.  
The European Union acknowledges that the revised technical guidelines seem to provide certain 4.  
clarification, for instance, on the use of true and factual statements or statements supported by 
evidence. However, the EU notes that the Regu lation, as explained in the guidelines, prohibits 
claims about properties, benefits or quality of the alcohol products whether directly or indirectly, 
and that this prohibition would have an impact on certain specific terms commonly used in the 
European Un ion linked to the ageing or maturation process and to the conditions or characteristics 
of the product.  
The guidelines clarify that the Regulation also prohibit statements that encourage the 5.  
consumption of alcohol: while the EU shares concerns linked to t he protection of consumers, we 
consider that further clarification would be needed on the specific requirements envisaged by 
Thailand, which shall be designed to avoid undue impacts on trade and divergent interpretations.  
In light of the above, the Europe an Union considers that the revised guidelines are still unclear 6.  
and do not provide industry with comprehensive concrete information on how to ensure that labels 
of alcoholic drinks are compliant with the Thai Regulation. The E uropean Union invites the Tha i 
government to further clarify the implementation of the Regulation and welcomes and encourages G/TBT/W/555  
 
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  the further involvement of stakeholders in this process, since they were not  consu lted during the  
revision of the technical guidelines.  
In addition, the Europe an Union would be grateful for updated information on possible 7.  
upcoming initiatives -if any - with regard to graphic health warnings on alcoholic drinks. The 
European Union invites Thailand to consult any draft proposal with relevant industry and to notify 
it to the TBT Committee , so to allow Members to become acquainted with it and submit comments, 
in accordance with Article 2.9.2 of the TBT Agreement   
 
 
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