. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/EEC/283 
14 July 2009  
 (09-3430) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
  
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 
EC-TBT Enquiry Point Fax:  +(32) 2 299 80 43 E-mail:  ec-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 [   ], 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):  Chlorthal-dimethyl 
(pesticide acti ve substance). 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Draft Commission 
Decision concerning the non-inclusion of chlortha l-dimethyl in Annex I to Council Directive 
91/414/EEC and the withdrawal of authorisations for plant prot ection products containing that 
substance  (5 pages, in English) 
6. Description of content:  The draft provides that chlorthal-dimehtyl is not included in the 
positive Community list and that Member States have to withdraw authorisations for plant 
protection products containing that  substance. This draft Deci sion only concerns the placing 
on the market of this substance and does no t affect the Community or national Maximum 
Residue Levels (MRLs) for residu es of the concerned pesticide.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Directive 91/414/EEC concerning the placing of plant protection products  on the market sets 
up a harmonised framework for the authoris ation and placing on the market of plant 
protection products in order to prot ect human health and the environment.  
Article 8(2) of this Directive provides a program me to be carried out over a period of 12 years 
for the gradual examination of the active substances contained in the plant protection products 
on the market. Substances for which the outcome  of the evaluation is favourable are then 
included in Annex I of the Directive. G/TBT/N/EEC/283 
Page 2  
 
  Chlorthal-dimethyl is a substance covered by  the third stage of this work programme. 
During the evaluation of this active substance it was found that its metabolite MPA leaches to 
groundwater. On the basis of the information available, it cannot be concluded that it may be 
expected that the plant protection products containing that active substance fulfil the 
conditions provided for in Article 5(1) of Di rective 91/414/EEC, in particular as regards 
toxicological significance of that metabolite. 
A period of grace for disposal, storage, placi ng on the market and use of existing stocks of 
plant protection products cont aining chlorthal-dimethyl a llowed by Member States, in 
accordance with the provisions of Article 4(6) of Directive 91/ 414/EEC, is limited to a period 
not longer than 12 months, i.e. 18 months from the date of adoption of this draft Decision. 
8. Relevant documents:   Council Directive 91/414/EEC of 15 July 1991 concerning the placing 
of plant protection products on the market, OJ L 230, 19.8.1991, p. 1. 
http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ /LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSL EG:1991L0414:20070201:EN:PDF   
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    15 October 2009   
Member States have to withdraw all existing authorizations for pl ant protection products 
containing chlorthal-dimethyl 6 months after the date of adoption.  
10. Final date for comments:  60 days from date of notification 
11. Text available from: National enquiry point [  ], or addre ss, telephone and fax numbers, 
e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:    
European Commission 
EC-TBT Enquiry Point Fax:  + (32) 2 299 80 43 E-mail:  ec-tbt@ec.europa.eu
 
The text is available on the EC-TBT Website :  http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tbt/  
and here.