G/TBT/N/ITA/30  
 
28 June 2017  
(17-3448) 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 : ITALY   
If applicable, name of local government involved  (Article 3.2 and 7.2) :  
2. Agency responsible: Ministero dello sviluppo economico  
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 :  
Ministry for economic development  
General Directorate for Market, Competition, Consumer, Vigilance and Technical 
Standardization  
Division XIII - Technical standardization  
00187 Rome I – Via Sallustiana, 53  
tel. ++39 06 4705.5340  
ucn98.34.i talia@mise.gov.it   
European Commission TBT Enquiry Point ec-tbt@ec.europa.eu  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [  ], 5.6.2 [  ], 5.7.1 [  ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, other wise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Rice 
5. Title, number of pages  and language(s)  of the notified document:  Draft legislative 
decree laying down provisions concerning the internal rice market, impleme nting Article 31 
of Law No 154 of 28 July 2016. (13 page(s), in Italian)   
6. Description of content:  The measure comprises 13 articles and 5 annexes.  
The scope of application and the definitions used are set out in Article 1. The next five 
articles establ ish the classification and naming of foods; provisions guaranteeing the 
quality of rice placed on the market or permitted for consumption; establishing names 
reserved for certain traditional varieties of products and the Variety Register, listing and 
descr ibing traditional varieties; for rice permitted to use collective marks, the measure 
allows for inclusion on packaging of the indications envisaged in the related use 
regulations.  
Articles 7 to 10 govern controls and identify penalties, the authority respo nsible for their 
imposition and the procedures for payment of administrative penalties.  
Article 11 contains the mutual recognition clause.  
Articles 12 and 13 lay down temporary provisions for the packaging of rice applicable for a 
period of twelve months f rom the date of entry into force of the measure, allow for the 
amendment of its annexes by decree of the relevant ministries, and provide for the repeal 
of Law No 325 of 18 March 1958 twelve months after the date of entry into force of the 
new decree.  G/TBT/N/ITA/30  
 
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  The annexes contain definitions, descriptions and specifications relating to:  
 Annex 1 - Definitions of product groups and qualitative characteristics.  
 Annex 2 - Characteristics of the varieties allowed to use the food naming referred to 
in Article 4(1).  
 Annex 3 - Register kept by the National Agency for Rice [Ente Nazionale Risi].  
 Annex 4 - Qualitative characteristics for rice and parboiled rice (maximum values).  
 Annex 5 - Methods of analysis.  
7. Objective and rationale , including the nature of urgent problems  where applicable: 
The notified draft legislative decree is intended to implement legal instruments for the rice 
production chain based on specific objective and transparent criteria to be able to 'classify ' 
Italy's wide range of varieties from a sales per spective.  
Adoption of the measure responds to the need to adjust the retail naming of rice to the 
provisions of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council 
of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets  in agricultural 
products, Annex II, part 1 of which distinguishes rice into round grain, medium grain and 
long grain rice.  
The proposed legislation therefore updates the national indications 'common ', 'semi-fine', 
'fine' and 'super -fine' given in the exis ting legislation, set out in Law No 325 of 18 March 
1958 governing the sale of rice, since they are not defined in any international norms or 
standards.  
The draft decree also contains provisions regarding the labelling of rice in accordance with 
Regulation  (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 
October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, with a view to simplifying 
the pertinent regulations to the benefit of both packaging companies and consumers; as 
well as  laying down a single penalty system applicable at national level.  
8. Relevant documents:   References to basic texts:  
 Law No 154 of 28 July 2016 - Article 31  
 Law No 325 of 18 March 1958 governing the sale of rice   
9. Proposed date of adoption:  August 20 17  
Proposed date of entry into force:  August 2017   
10. Final date for comments:  28 July 2017  
11. Texts available from : National enquiry point  [X] or address, telephone and fax 
number s and e mail and website address es, if available , of other body:   
Text o n line at: http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools -databases/tris/en/search   
and/or at: http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools -databases/tbt/en/search   
 
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