WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/EEC/280 
7 July 2009  
 (09-3326) 
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 auth ority 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):   
Cold Water Meters for Non-Clean Water; Alcohol Meters a nd Alcohol Tables; 
Medium and Above-Medium Accuracy Weights; Tyre Pressure Gauges for Motor Vehicles; Standard Mass of Grain; Calibration of Ship Tanks.        
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 repealing Council Directives 71/317/EEC, 
71/347/EEC, 71/349/EEC, 74/148/EEC, 75/ 33/EEC, 76/765/EEC, 76/766/EEC and 
86/217/EEC regarding metrology (C OM(2008) 801 final) (9 pages,  in English, French and 
Spanish).       
6. Description of content:  The proposal is for the repeal of eight legal metrology directives. 
The instruments regulated by these optional directives are becoming increasingly obsolete.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Member States have always been allowed to regulate alternatives including more 
technologically advanced instrume nts for which there appear to be no obstacles to trade. The 
repeal is in line with the policy of bett er regulation and simp lification by reducing 
unnecessary regulation.  G/TBT/N/EEC/280 
Page 2  
 
  8. Relevant documents:   Legislative Proposal 
: COM(2008) 801 Final  (03-12-2008) 
Impact Assessment Summary    
Impact Assessment   
Report on the public consultation     
Report   & Slides  by External Consultant 
Reactions to the Public Consultation July 2008  
Key issues document  21 May 2008 
Framework directive (not to be repealed)  Council Directive 71/316/EEC of 26 July 1971
 on the approximation of the laws of the 
Member States relating to common provisions fo r both measuring instruments and methods of 
metrological control.  
8 directives to be repealed: Council Directive 75/33/EEC of 17 December 1974
 on the approximation of the laws of the 
Member States relating to cold-water meters 
Council Directive 76/765/EEC of 27 July 1976  on the approximation of the laws of the 
Member States relating to alcohol ometers and alcohol hydrometers 
Council Directive 76/766/EEC of 27 July on the approximation of th e laws of the Member 
States relating to alcohol tables 
Council Directive 71/317/EEC of 26 July 1971  on the approximation of the laws of the 
Member States relating to 5 to  50 kilogramme medium accuracy  rectangular bar weights and 
1 to 10 kilogramme medium ac curacy cylindrical weights 
Council Directive 74/148/EEC of 4 March 1974  on the approximation of the laws of the 
Member States relating to weights of from 1 mg to 50 kg of above-medium accuracy 
Council Directive 86/217/EEC of 26 May 1986  on the approximation of the laws of the 
Member States relating to tyre pr essure gauges for motor vehicles 
Council Directive 71/347/EEC of 12 October 1971  on the approximation of the laws of the 
Member States relating to the measuring of th e standard mass per storage volume of grain 
Council Directive 71/349/EEC of 12 October 1971  on the approximation of the laws of the 
Member States relating to the calibrating of the thanks of vessels 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    End of  2009 
20 days from publication in  the Official Journal 
of the EU. Repeal applicable from 1 January 2010.  
10. Final date for comments:  60 days from date of notification.  G/TBT/N/EEC/280 
 Page 3 
 
 
  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 
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 at 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/L exUriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0801:FIN:EN:PDF  
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/L exUriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0801:FIN:ES:PDF  
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/L exUriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0801:FIN:FR:PDF