. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/EEC/148 
13 March 2007 
 (07-1067) 
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 8043  Email: 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):   Cat and dog fur and 
products containing such fur. 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Proposal for a 
Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council banning the placing on the 
market and the import to or export from the Community of cat and dog fur and products 
containing such fur.  Proposal is subject to possible modifications by the Council or the European Parliament (17 pages, in English, with Explanatory Memorandum). 
6. Description of content:   This proposal is intended to ban the placing on the market and the 
import to and the export from the Community  of fur from cats and dogs and products 
thereof.  It also establishes information requi rements for Member States aimed at ensuring 
that information on new detection methods is made available to the Commission and 
exchanged between Member States, with a vi ew to the possible establishment of common 
detection methodologies at EU level to identify th e species of origin of fur and fur products 
imported or being put on the market. 
The majority of EU Member States have legislation in place to the effect of restricting the 
production of cat and dog fur or the trade in products containing such fur.  Whilst there is a very large consensus across all Member States as to the unacceptability of trade and imports 
of cat and dog fur and products thereof in the Community, the coexistence of different 
legislative instruments entails that traders in fur from other animal species and products 
containing such fur are faced with a set of different legal requirements in the different 
Member States they wish to trade in, import or export to.  G/TBT/N/EEC/148 
Page 2  
 
  However, it is appropriate to provide for the possibility to derogate from the general ban on 
the placing on the market, import to or expor t from the Community in  specific cases where 
it is ensured that it has not any negative eff ect on the consumer’s confidence in fur and fur 
products as well as for cat or dog fur containi ng items which are part of personal or 
household effects. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Consumer protection 
8. Relevant documents:   Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the 
Council banning the placing on the market and the import to or export from the Community 
of cat and dog fur and products containing such fur. 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    Mid 2007 
Beginning 2008 
10. Final date for comments:   60 days from date of notification 
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 8043 
E-mail: ec-tbt@ec.europa.eu