. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/EEC/297 
19 October 2006 
 (06-5064) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  Commission of the European Co mmunities. Health & Consumer 
Protection Directorate-General. Directorate E – Safety of the food chain.  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):   Materials and articles in contact with food (including catering containers) and 
materials and articles in contact with dri nking water covered by TARIC positions 6911, 
6912, 3919, 3920, 3923 & 3924. ICS number: 67.250, 81.060  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected , to the extent relevant or practicable:  
Member States of the European Communiti es (EC) and third countries exporting the 
products concerned to the EC.  
5. Title, language and number of p ages of the notified document:  SANCO/2006/1597  
Draft Commission Regulation on good manufactur ing practice for materials and articles 
intended to come into contact with food (6 pages).  
6. Description of content:  This draft regulation sets out the basic rules of good 
manufacturing practice that have to be applied in the manufacturing/storage and transport of 
food contact materials and articles.  
7. Objective and rationale: [ X ] food safety,  [   ] animal health,  [   ] plant protection, 
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [   ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests:  To ensure consumer safety.  
8. International standard, guideline or recommendation: 
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission,  [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention,  [ X ] None 
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:   G/SPS/N/EEC/297 
Page 2  
 
  9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:   
European Commission Document SANCO/2006/1597 (available in English).  When 
adopted it will be published at th e Official Journal available at: 
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/lex/JOYear.do?year=2006  . 
Further to document SANCO/2006/1597, informa tion relevant to this proposal can be 
found:  
(a) in the opinions and minutes of EFSA available respectively at 
http://www.efsa.europa.e u/science/afc/afc_opi nions/catindex_en.html  and 
http://www.efsa.europa.e u/science/afc/afc_meetings/catindex_en.html  
(b) on the websites of the EEC Joint Research Center on Food Contact Materials at 
http://crl-fcm.jrc.it/  
(c) on the website of DG Health and Consumer Protection at  
http://ec.europa.eu./comm/food/food/ch emicalsafety/foodcontact/index_en.htm  
10. Proposed date of adoption:  December 2006 (at this time it is  not possible to estimate a 
more specific date).  
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  1 August 2008  
12. Final date for comments:  Sixty (60) days after the date of notification.  Comments may be 
welcome at any time.  They will be considered at the occasion of a new modification of 
Directive 2002/72/EC relating to plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact 
with foodstuffs.  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [ X ] National notification 
authority, [   ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:   
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notification authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, 
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: