. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/TBT/N/EU/25 
27 February 2012  
 (12-1103) 
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):  Fireworks and other 
pyrotechnic articles (HS 3604). 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Proposal for a Directive 
of the European Parliament and of the C ouncil on the harmonisation of the laws of the 
Member States relating to the making available on the market of pyrotechnic articles (COM(2011) 764) (96 pages, in E nglish, French and Spanish) 
6. Description of content:  This proposed Directive is a recast  of Directive 2007/23/EC to align 
it to the New Legislative Framework and in  particular to Decision No 768/2008/EC.  
The changes made to the provisions of Direc tive 2007/23/EC concern: the definitions, the 
obligations of economic operat ors, the presumption of conf ormity provided by harmonised 
standards, the declaration of conformity, CE marking, notifie d bodies, the safeguard clause 
procedure and the conformity  assessment procedures. 
The proposal does not change the scope of the Di rective and the essentia l safety requirements, 
except for the essential safety requirements relating to the use of commercial blasting agents and military explosives, which some pyrotec hnic articles, notably automotive pyrotechnic 
articles such as air bag gas gene rators, contain in small amounts.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable:  To 
align the current Directive, which is aimed at  protection of human health and safety, to 
Decision EC No 768/2008.   G/TBT/N/EU/25 
Page 2  
 
  8. Relevant documents:   Directive 2007/23/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council 
of 23 May 2007 on the placing on the market of  pyrotechnic articles (OJ L 154, 14.6.2007, 
p. 1-21) 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/L exUriServ.do?uri=OJ :L:2007:154:0001:0021:EN:PDF  
Decision No 768/2008/EC of the European Parlia ment and of the Council of 9 July 2008 on a 
common framework for the marketing of pr oducts, and repealing Council Decision 
93/465/EEC (OJ L 218, 13.8.2008, p. 82–128) 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/L exUriServ.do?uri=OJ :L:2008:218:0082:0128:EN:PDF  
Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 July 2008 
setting out the requirements for accreditation and market surveillance relating to the 
marketing of products and repe aling Regulation (EEC) No 339/93 (OJ L 218, 13.8.2008, p. 
30-47) (New Legislative Framework) (No tified under reference G/TBT/N/EEC/152) 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/L exUriServ.do?uri=OJ :L:2008:218:0030:0047:EN:PDF  
New Legislative Framework for ma rketing of products - website 
"http://ec.europa.eu/enterpris e/policies/single-m arket-goods/regulat ory-policies-common-
rules-for-products/new-legis lative-framework/index_en.htm " 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    End of  2012 
20 days from publication in  the Official Journal 
of the EU (about a month after adoption 
approx.).  Applicable from 4 July 2013 at the 
latest. 
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:2011:0764:FIN:EN:PDF  
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/L exUriServ.do?uri=COM:2011:0764:FIN:FR:PDF  
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/L exUriServ.do?uri=COM:2011:0764:FIN:ES:PDF  
http://members.wto.org/crnatt achments/2012/tbt/EEC/12_0752_00_e.pdf