. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/FRA/78 
3 April 2008 
 (08-1480) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   French 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  FRANCE
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):  
2. Agency responsible:  
Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des 
Fraudes , DGCCRF (Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and 
Repression of Fraud) 
59 boulevard Vincent Auriol 
75703 Paris Cedex 13 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers and E-mail and website 
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):   Goals and goal cages for 
football, handball, hockey, basketball and rugby. 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Décret fixant les 
exigences de sécurité auxquelles doivent répondre les cages de buts et buts  (Decree laying 
down the safety requirements to be met by goals and goal cages). 
6. Description of content:   In order to prevent accidents related to goals or goal cages falling 
or tipping over on users, the notified Decree la ys down the general safety requirements to be 
met by the manufacturers, importers and dist ributors of goals intended for marketing in 
France and by the owners of and persons respons ible for goals installed and made available 
to users within national territory.  The Decr ee refers to European manufacturing standards 
and to a French standard on the control and ma intenance of goals made available to users. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
 
 The notified Decree amends the regula tions implemented in 1996, following a 
number of fatalities.  These regulations introdu ced mandatory requirements for goals to be 
anchored either to the ground (goal cages for football, handball and both field and indoor 
hockey) or to a wall (basketball goals/hoops) and for goals to be subjected to tests during 
manufacture and upon first installation as well as in the framework of th e maintenance to be 
carried out by the owners of and persons res ponsible for installed goals.  The Decree, which 
extends the scope to cover a ll goals and goal cages, lays dow n general safety requirements
 G/TBT/N/FRA/78 
Page 2  
 
  7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
(cont'd) and refers to technical standards with  regard to the tests to be conducted by the 
parties placing such products on the market and by the owners of and persons responsible 
for installed goals.  The installation of goals wh ich are not anchored to the ground or a wall, 
such as free-standing goals, is permitted, provide d that a high level of safety is ensured. 
8. Relevant documents:  
Directive 2001/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 December 2001 
on General Product Safety;  Articles R. 322-19 to R. 322-26 of the Spor ts Code and Annexes III-1 and III-2 to the 
regulatory part thereof. 
9. Proposed date of adoption: 
Proposed date of entry into force:  May 2008 
Three months and one day after the date of 
publication in the Official Journal of the 
French Republic 
10. Final date for comments:   60 days 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, E-mail and website addresses,  if available, of other body:  
Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la  Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes 
National enquiry point: 
CINORTECH  AFNOR 
11, Avenue Francis de Pressensé 
93571 La Plaine Saint-Denis Cedex 
Text available at: 
http://members.wto.org/crnattach ments/2008/tbt/FRA/08_0969_00_f.pdf