. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/EEC/122 
13 September 2006 
 (06-4355) 
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 government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:   European Commission 
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:    
European Commission 
EC-TBT Enquiry Point 
Fax: (+32) 2 299 80 43 
E-mail: ec-tbt@ec.europa.eu 
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):   Electrical and electric 
equipment 
5. Title, number of pages and langua ge(s) of the notified document:         
1. Draft Decision amending for the purposes of adapting to technical progress, the 
Annex to Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards exemptions for applications of lead and cadmium. (5 pages)  
2. Draft Decision amending for the purposes of adapting to technical progress, the 
Annex to Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards exemptions for applications of hexavalent chromium. (4 pages)  
3. Draft Decision amending for the purposes of adapting to technical progress, the 
Annex to Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as 
regards exemptions for applications of  lead in crystal glass. (4 pages) 
6. Description of content:   Directive 2002/95/EC introduces an obligation for member States 
to ensure that from 1 July 2006, new electrical and electronic equipment put on the market 
does not contain lead, mercury, cadmium, hexa valent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls 
(PBB) or polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).  However, its Annex foresees a series of exemptions.  The new draft Decisions add 9 exemptions in the Annex to Directive 
2002/95/EC: 8 for lead (amongst which 1 for cadmium combined with lead) and 1 for hexavalent chromium. G/TBT/N/EEC/122 
Page 2  
 
  7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Amendment done pursuant to Article 5(1) (b) of Directive 2002/95/EC. Urgency due to the 
fact that the substance ban under Directive 2002/95/EC entered into force on 1 July 2006. 
The Commission needs to adopt and publish the Decisions as soon as possible in order to ensure legal certainty to the Member St ates and economic operators as per the legal 
applicability of the exemptions. 
8. Relevant documents:    
Directive 2002/95/EC of the European parliament and of the Council of 27 January 2003 on 
the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment as amended by: 
 
− Commission Decision 2005/747/EC of 21 October 2005 amending for the purposes 
of adapting to technical progress the Annex to Directive 2002/95/EC of the 
European Parliament and of the Council on the restriction of the use of certain 
hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. 
 
− Commission Decision 2005/717/EC of 13 October 2005 amending for the purposes 
of adapting to technical progress the Annex to Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the restriction of the use of certain 
hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. 
 
− Commission Decision 2005/618/EC of 18 August 2005 amending Directive 
2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council for the purpose of establishing the maximum concentration valu es for certain hazardous substances in 
electrical and electronic equipment. 
 
− Commission Decision 2006/310/EC amending, for the purposes of adapting to 
technical progress, the Annex to Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards exemptions for applications of lead. 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:   }Adoption end September 2006 
10. Final date for comments:   30 days from date of circulation 
11. Texts 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 
EC-TBT Enquiry Point 
Fax: (+32) 2 299 80 43 
E-mail: ec-tbt@ec.europa.eu