. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/EEC/221/Add.4 
13 February 2006 
 (06-0595) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
Addendum
 
  
 The following communication, received on 9 February 2006, is being circulated at the request 
of the Delegation of the European Communities.  
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Wood packaging material circulating under CN He ading 4415 and wood used to wedge and support 
non-wood cargo (dunnage)  
  The EC notifies hereby the "Commission Di rective 2006/14/EC of 6 February 2006 amending 
Annex IV to Council Directive 2000/29/EC on protec tive measures against the introduction into the 
Community of organisms harmful to plants or plan t products and against their spread within the 
Community" (O.J. L34, 7 February 2006 pp. 24-25).   Pursuing to his Directive, the dates in the last paragraph of points 2 and 8 of Annex IV, 
Part A, section 1 to Directive 2000/29/EC on protective measur es against the introduction into the 
Community of organisms harmful to plants or plant  products and against their spread within the 
Community  (Official Journal L169, 10 July 2000, p.1) are replaced by:  "1 January 2009". 
  The full text can be downloaded from the internet address indicated below:  EN: http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/lex/LexUriServ/s ite/en/oj/2006/l_034/l _03420060207e n00240025.pdf
 
FR: http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/lex/LexUriServ /site/fr/oj/2006/l_034/ l_03420060207fr00240025.pdf  
ES: http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/lex/LexUriServ /site/es/oj/2006/l_034/ l_03420060207es00240025.pdf  
  Background
 
 
 The Council, by Article 1 of its Directive 2005/15/EC (notified in G/SPS/N/EEC/221/Add.3, 
2 March 2005) delayed until 1 Marc h 2006 the debarking provisions for wood packaging materials 
and dunnage as foreseen in Commission Directive 2004/102/EC of 5 October 2004 amending 
Annexes II, III, IV and V to Council Directive 2000/29/EC on protective measures against the 
introduction into the Community of organisms harmf ul to plants and plant products and against their 
spread within the Community  (Official Journal L 309, 6 Oct ober 2004, pages 9-25), notified in 
G/SPS/N/EEC/221 (10 November 2003).  Many Third Countries, including developing countries, 
have requested a further postponement to avoid trade disruption.   In its decision for a further extension of th e deadline of the debarking requirement until 
1 January 2009, the Commission wants to allow the international community sufficient time to re-
evaluate the phytosanitary risk of bark.  The Commission will theref ore closely follow the G/SPS/N/EEC/221/Add.4 
Page 2  
 
  international review of ISPM n°  15, which should address the EU's concern about the presence of 
bark attached to wood packaging material.   Pursuing the EC interest for international sta ndards to be established, it encourages countries 
having submitted comments to its initial proposal to participate in the work of the Committee on 
Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) of the Inte rnational Plant Protection Convention. 
  See more in http://europa.eu.int/comm./food/resour ces/import_conditions/woodpackaging.pdf
 
  The notified document can be obtained from the EC Enquiry Point:  sps@cec.eu.int
 
 
 
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