. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/EEC/338 
24 December 2008 
 (08-6319) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
 
 
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
1. Notifying Member:  EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES  
If applicable, name of local government involved:    
2. Agency responsible:  Commission of the European Communities. Health & Consumers 
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):  Chemically defined flavouring substa nces for use in foodstuffs (ICS Code 
67.220.20, Spices and condiments)  and foodstuffs containing it. 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[ X ] All trading partners, or 
[   ] Specific regions or countries:    
5. Title of the notified document:  Draft Commission Decision amending Commission 
Decision 1999/217/EC adopting a register of fl avouring substances used in or on foods 
(SANCO/3668/2008)  Language:     Number of pages:  7 
http://members.wto.org/crnattach ments/2008/sps/EEC/08_4080_00_e.pdf  
6. Description of content:  The present amendment of the register is necessary for the 
following reasons: 
• 148 substances for which the data need ed for safety evaluation has not been 
submitted or the Commission has not been in formed about any inte ntion to still submit 
information should be deleted as it can not be established whether their use as flavouring is 
safe. 
• The protection of intellectual property in connection with the development and 
manufacture of flavouring substances was guaranteed for a period of maximum five years 
as of the date of receipt of their notification.  This period has expired for the remaining four 
substances in part B of the register and they should consequently be integrated in the open 
Part A. 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [   ] plant protection, 
[ X ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [   ] protect territory from other damage from pests.    G/SPS/N/EEC/338 
Page 2  
 
  8. Is there a relevant international stan dard?  If so, identify the standard:  
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex standard 
or related text)    
[   ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)     
[   ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM N°)     
[ X ] None Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?   
 [   ] Yes   [ X ] No 
 If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:    
9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:      
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) :  First quarter 2009  
Propose date of publication ( dd/mm/yy) :  First quarter 2009 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  [   ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) :  When published in the Official Journal of the European Union, available at:  
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/JOYear.do?year=2008 
[   ] Trade facilitating measure  
12. Final date for comments: [ X ] Sixty days  from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or ( dd/mm/yy ):  22 February 2009 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National Notification 
Authority, [ X ] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:    
 EC Enquiry Point 
 sps@ec.europa.eu 
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National Notification Authority, [ X ] National Enquiry 
Point.  Address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:    
 EC Enquiry Point  
 sps@ec.europa.eu