G/TBT/N/BEL/42  
18 January  2019 
(19-0307) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  French  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.  
 
1. Notifying Member : BELGIUM  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2  and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:  
Service public fédéral Santé publique, Sécurité de la Chaîne alimentaire et Environnement  
(Federal Public Service for Public Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment)  
Direction Générale Animaux, Végétaux et Alimentation  (Directorate -General for Animals, 
Plants and Foodstuffs)  
Service inspection produits de consommation  (Consumer Products Inspection Service)  
Eurostation, place Victor Horta 40/10, 1060 Saint -Gilles, Belgium  
Tel.: 02 524 73 73 and 02/ 524 74 73  
mathieu.capouet@sante.belgique.be  and eugenie.bertrand@sante.belgique.be  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and websi te 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
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, otherwise national tariff 
heading . ICS numbers may be provided in addition where applicable) : Ministerial 
order on the requirements of plain, standardized unit packs and outer packaging for 
cigarettes, rolling  tobacco, water pipe tobacco and paper for cigarettes and rolling tobacco  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document : Arrêté 
ministériel relatif aux conditions de neutralité et d'uniformisation des unités de 
conditionnements et des  emballages extérieurs des cigarettes, du tabac à rouler et du 
tabac à pipe à eau ainsi que du papier des cigarettes et du tabac à rouler  (Ministerial 
order on the requirements of plain, standardized unit packs and outer packaging for 
cigarettes, rolling t obacco, water pipe tobacco and paper for cigarettes and rolling 
tobacco) (5 pages, in French ; 5 pages, in Dutch)  
6. Description of content : The purpose of the royal order on standardized packaging is to 
standardize the appearance of cigarette, rolling to bacco and water pipe tobacco packets . 
The notified regulation (ministerial order) sets out more specific requirements regarding 
the appearance and content of these different unit packs.  
Article 1 defines the scope of the ministerial order.  
Article 2 sets t he colour of the unit packs and outer packaging.  
Article 3 addresses how the brand name, manufacturer contact information and bar codes 
may appear.  
Article 4 addresses the interior of unit packs and outer packaging.  
Article 5 addresses paper for cigarettes  and for rolling tobacco.  G/TBT/N/BEL/42  
- 2 - 
  Article 6 covers the aluminium seal.  
Article 7 covers unit packs of cigarette or cigarette paper tubes.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable : The provisions of the draft ministerial  order are in line with those adopted 
by the United Kingdom and France and shown to be effective in those member states.  
The regulations set out in the ministerial order are technical ones geared towards the 
practical introduction of plain packaging in Bel gium.  
The following documents have been annexed in order to provide further information on 
the implementation of plain packaging in Belgium:  
• Anti-smoking plan of the Minister of Public Health  
• Report to the Minister of Public Health on impact assessment in Australia and 
implementation within the EU  
• Report to the Minister of Public Health on impact assessment in France and the 
United Kingdom  
• Summary of legal challenges to standardized packaging  
• Report to the King  
8. Relevant documents:  
• Directive 2014/40/EU  
9. Proposed date of adoption : May 2 019 
Proposed date of entry into force : 10 days after publication in the Belgian Official 
Journal  
10. Final date for comments : 60 days from the date of notification  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body:  
Service public fédéral Santé publique, Sécurité de la Chaîne alimentaire et 
Environnement  (Federal Public Service for Public Health, Food Chain Safety and 
Environment)  
Direction Générale Animaux, Végétaux et Alimentation  (Directorate -General for Animals, 
Plants and Foodstuffs)  
Service inspection produits de consommation  (Consumer Products Inspection Service)  
Eurostation, place Victor Horta 40/10, 1060 Saint -Gilles, Belgium  
Tel.: 02 524 73 73 and 02/ 524 74 73  
mathieu.capouet@sante.belgique.be  and eugenie.bertrand@sante.belgique.be  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/TBT/BEL/19_0324_00_f.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/TBT/BEL/19_0324_01_f.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/TBT/BEL/19_0324_02_f.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/TBT/BEL/19_0324_03_f.pdf  
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2019/TBT/BEL/19_0324_04_f.pdf