G/TBT/W/568  
 
29 November 2018  
(18-7548) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
 
THAILAND — DRAFT NOT IFICATION OF THE ALC OHOLIC BEVERAGES CON TROL,  
RE: RULES, PROCEDURE  AND CONDITION FOR L ABELS OF ALCOHOLIC  
BEVERAGES, ISSUED UN DER B.E.  
STATEMENT BY THE EUR OPEAN UNION TO THE COMMITT EE ON TECHNICAL BARR IERS TO TRADE  
14 AND 15 NOVEMBER 2 018 
The following communication, dated 22  November 2018, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of the European Union . 
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1.  The European Union follows closel y the developments and implementation of the Regulation on 
Criteria, Procedures 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 amende d, 
the European Union welcomes the revised version of the technical implementing guidelines published 
at the website of the Office of the Alcoholic Beverages Control Committee in April 2017.  
2.  The European Union welcomes the consultation with stakeholders o rganised by the National 
Health Commission Office on 31 October 2017 and the second consultation with civil society recently 
organised on 5 June 2018. The European Union welcomes the recent publication of the report of 
these two consultations on the website of the Office of Alcohol Control Committee . However, the 
report only conta ins a summary of comments and recommendations presented in the consultations 
without providing further details as regards future steps. The European Union would like to have 
updated information on the next steps and on how comments have been or will be tak en 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.  
3.  As stated in previous TBT Committee meetings, the European Uni on 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.  
4.  The European Union acknowledg es that the revised technical guidelines seem to provide certain 
clarification, for instance, on the use of true and factual statements or statements supported by 
evidence. However, the EU notes that the Regulation, as explained in the guidelines, prohibit s 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 
Union linked to the ageing or maturation process a nd to the conditions or characteristics of the 
product.  
5.  The guidelines clarify that the Regulation also prohibit statements that encourage the 
consumption of alcohol: while the EU shares concerns linked to the protection of consumers, we 
consider that fur ther clarification would be needed on the specific requirements envisaged by 
Thailand, which shall be designed to avoid undue impacts on trade and divergent interpretations.  
6.  In light of the above, the European Union considers that the revised guidelines a re still unclear 
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 European Union invites the Thai 
government to further clarify the implementati on of the Regulation and welcomes and encourages G/TBT/W/568  
 
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  the further involvement of stakeholders in this process, since they were not consulted during the 
revision of the technical guidelines.  
7.  In addition, the European Union would be grateful for updated information on possible 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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