. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/TBT/N/EU/68 
22 October 2012  
 (12-5728) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Notifying Member:  EUROPEAN UNION  
If applicable, name of local governme nt involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):     
2. Agency responsible:  European Commission 
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 :   
European Commission 
EU-TBT Enquiry Point Fax:  +(32) 2 299 80 43 E-mail:  mailto:eu-tbt@ec.europa.eu  
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tbt/  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [X], 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):  Chemicals 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Proposal for a 
Regulation of the European Parliament a nd of the Council amending Regulation (EC) 
No 273/2004 on drug precursors (COM(2012) 548 ) (35 pages, in English, French and 
Spanish).     
6. Description of content:  The draft Regulation proposes to strengthen some provisions of 
Regulation (EC) No 273/2004 with regard to dr ug precursors scheduled  in Category 2, in 
particular concerning acetic anhydride.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Reinforcing the control on the legal trade along the entire value chain of certain drug 
precursors scheduled in Category 2, in particular acetic a nhydride, in order to   reduce the 
possibilities for diversion to th e manufacturing of illicit drugs.  
8. Relevant documents:   SWD (2012) 278 Executive Su mmary Impact Assessment 
accompanying COM( 2012) 548: 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/L exUriServ.do?uri=SWD:2012:0278:FIN:EN:PDF  
"http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/Result.do?T1=V7&T2=2012& T3=278&RechType=RECH _naturel&Submit=S
earch " G/TBT/N/EU/68 
Page 2  
 
  SWD(2012) 279 Impact Assessment accompanying COM (2012) 548: 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/L exUriServ.do?uri=SWD:2012:0279:FIN:EN:PDF  
"http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/Result.do?T1=V7&T2=2012& T3=279&RechType=RECH _naturel&Submit=S
earch " 
Regulation (EC) No 273/2004 of the European  Parliament and of the Council on drug 
precursors:   
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/L exUriServ.do?uri=OJ :L:2004:047:0001:0010:EN:PDF  
Other information on drug precursors control in the European Union: 
"http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sect ors/chemicals/documents/specific-
chemicals/precursors/index_en.htm " 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    December 2013 
January 2014 
10. Final date for comments:  90 days from date of notification. 
11. Text available from:  National enquiry point [ ], or address, telephone and fax numbers, 
e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:    
European Commission 
EU-TBT Enquiry Point 
Fax:  + (32) 2 299 80 43 E-mail:  mailto:eu-tbt@ec.europa.eu  
The text is available on the EU-TBT Website:  http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tbt/    
and at 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/L exUriServ.do?uri=COM:2012:0548:FIN:EN:PDF  
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/L exUriServ.do?uri=COM:2012:0548:FIN:FR:PDF  
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/L exUriServ.do?uri=COM:2012:0548:FIN:ES:PDF  
http://members.wto.org/crnatt achments/2012/tbt/EEC/12_4080_00_e.pdf