. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/TBT/N/EU/7 
13 January 2012  
 (12-0170) 
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 [   ], 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):  Mercury measuring 
devices (barometers, hygrometers, manometer s, sphygmomanometers, strain gauges to be 
used with plethysmographs, tensiometers, thermometers and other non-electrical 
thermometric applications, mercury pycn ometers and mercury metering devices for 
determination of the softeni ng point), for industrial and professional uses (including 
healthcare). 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Draft Commission 
Regulation amending Annex XVII to Regulat ion (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European 
Parliament and of the Council on the Registrati on, Evaluation, Authoris ation and Restriction 
of Chemicals (REACH) (7 pa ges, in English).     
6. Description of content:  The draft Regulation proposes th e prohibition of placing on the 
market of the mercury measuring devices fo r professional and industrial uses mentioned 
above in point 4.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable:  The 
objective of the draft Commission Regulation is the reduction of  entry into circulation of 
mercury in society and the reduction of the ri sk of exposure to mercury for humans and the 
environment. This is in line with the Comm unity Strategy concerni ng Mercury (COM (2005) 
20 final) which identified mercury as highly t oxic to humans, ecosyste ms and wildlife, posing 
a threat in the European Union and globally. Th e draft Regulation is a result of the review 
required by entry 18a in Annex XVII of REACH.  G/TBT/N/EU/7 
Page 2  
 
  8. Relevant documents:   Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Auth orisation and Restriction of Chemicals 
(REACH) (OJ L 396, 30.12.2006, p.1) 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/L exUriServ.do?uri=OJ :L:2006:396:0001:0849:EN:PDF  
- The compiled opinion of the Committee s for Risk Assessment (RAC) and Socio-
 economic Analysis (SEAC);  
http://echa.europa.eu/document s/10162/8d4a59b6-958c-4d54-9880-666e3268c3b2  
- The background document to RAC and SEAC opinions  
http://echa.europa.eu/documents/ 10162/46d0cad1-ca1a-4e27-81f2-c66fd520f592  
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    August 2012  
20 days after publication.  The provisions shall be applicable 18 months after entry into force. 
10. Final date for comments:  60 days from date of notification. 
11. Text available from:  National enquiry point [X], or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addres ses, 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/  
http://members.wto.org/crnatt achments/2011/tbt/EEC/11_4447_00_e.pdf