G/TBT/W/487  
 
19 April 2018  
(18-2428) 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  
21 AND 22 MARCH 2018  
The following communication, dated 16 April 2018, is being circulated at the request of the 
delegation of the European Union . 
 
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1.  The European Union follows closely the developments and implementation of the R egulation on 
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.  
2.  The European Union notes that a consultation (involving industry and Embassies) on the 
alcohol labelling Regulation and the technic al implementing guidelines was held on 31 October 
2017 by the Thai National Health Commission Office (NHCO) upon request of the Ministry of Public 
Health. The European Union participated in the consultation and expressed its main concerns on 
the Regulation . The European Union would like to request information on the outcome of the 
consultation exercise and to know whether further consultations are foreseen in the near future.  
3.  As stated in previous TBT Committee meetings and in the written comments submitte d in 
December 2015, as well as in the recent consultation by the NHCO, 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 th e label, which may lead to 
inconsistent interpretations.  
4.  The European Union acknowledges that the revised technical guidelines seem to provide certain 
clarification, for instance, on the use of true and factual statements or statements supported by 
eviden ce. However, the EU notes that the Regulation, 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 Union linked to the ageing or maturation process and to the conditions or characteristics 
of the product.  
5.  The guidelines clarify that the Regulation also prohibit statements that encourage the 
consumption of alcohol: w hile the EU shares concerns linked to the 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 interpretati ons.  
6.  In light of the above, the European Union considers that the revised guidelines are 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 Regulat ion. The E uropean Union invites the Thai 
government to further clarify the implementation of the Regulation and welcomes and encourages G/TBT/W/487  
 
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  the further involvement of stakeholders in this process, since they were not  consu lted during the  
revision of the techni cal 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 propo sal 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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