. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/CZE/111 
15 December 2005 
 (05-6031) 
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:   CZECH REPUBLIC
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:   Ministry of Health 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site 
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):   Vitamins, minerals, 
dietary supplements, fortification of foodstuffs with food supplements 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Draft Decree laying 
down the Requirements for Dietary Supplements  and for the Fortification of Foodstuffs 
with Food Supplements (16 pages, in Czech). 
6. Description of content:   The draft governs the conditions for the use and labelling of 
dietary supplements pursuant to Direc tive 2002/46/EC and the conditions for the 
fortification of foodstuffs with food supplemen ts, including the fortification of table salt 
with iodine, as a domestic regula tion.  Contains a list of prohi bited plants, which may not be 
used in dietary supplements. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Within the European Community , it is essential to adopt unified rules relating to the 
manufacture and circulation of products designa ted dietary supplements.  For the sake of 
simplicity for manufacturers and importers of  foodstuffs, the Decree gives the maximum 
permissible quantities of vitamins and minerals  accepted in the Czech Republic since 2001.  
These "limit quantities" were determined on th e basis of scientific recommendations made 
by international organizations and the bodi es authorizing medicinal products in the 
Czech Republic, i.e. the State Institute for Drugs Control.  As soon as the 
European Community issues regulatory rules for th is area, we are ready to incorporate them 
into the national regulations.  Another part of  the draft Decree lays down the conditions for 
the fortification of foodstuffs with food su pplements (vitamins and minerals).  At the 
present time, this problem has not been settl ed in the European Community, a draft 
Directive on the fortification of foodstuffs being issued in November 2003.  Pursuant to the draft Directive on the fortification of foodstuffs and Directive 2002/46/EC, the Decree 
submitted only allows those chemical forms of food supplements given in these Directives.  
The Decree also gives reference to daily doses of  the different vitamins and minerals which G/TBT/N/CZE/111 
Page 2  
 
are safe and do not represent any health risk as a basis for the fortification of foodstuffs.  
These values have applied in the Czech  Republic since 1997.  As soon as the 
European Community issues regulatory rules for th is area, we are ready to incorporate them 
into the national regulations.
   
8. Relevant documents:   Act No 110/1997 Coll., on Foods tuffs and Tobacco Products, as 
amended. 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:   }1 March 2006 
10. Final date for comments:   15 February 2006 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:   
E-mail:  wto.tbt@unmz.cz  
Website:  http://www.unmz.cz/