. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/EEC/268 
10 August 2005 
 (05-3571) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION  
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
 
If applicable, name of local government involved: 
2. Agency responsible:   Commission of the European Communities. Health & Consumer 
Protection Directorate-General  Directorate D – Food Safety: production and distribution 
chain. 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numbe r(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable):  Materials and Articles in contact with food including catering containers and 
materials and articles in contact with dri nking water covered by TARIC positions 3919, 
3920, 3923 & 3924. ICS number: 67.250 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected , to the extent relevant or practicable:  
Member States of the Eur opean Communities (EEC) and third countries exporting the 
products concerned to the EEC.  
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:   Draft Commission 
Directive amending Directive 2002/72/EC relating to plastic materials and articles intended 
to come into contact with foodstuffs (SANCO/2005/1318, 16 pages). 
6. Description of content:  This draft Directive updates the list of monomers and additives 
used for the manufacture of plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact 
with foodstuffs by (a) including substances re cently evaluated by the Scientific Committee 
on Food or (b) changing the restrictions in accord ance with new data available to European 
Food Safety Authority (EFSA). 
7. Objective and rationale:  [ X ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [   ] plant protection, 
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease,  [   ]  protect territory from other 
damage from pests:  To facilitate trade  by authorising a number of new substances to be 
used in the manufacture of plastics , whilst ensuring consumer safety.  
8. International standard, guideline or recommendation:  
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention, [ X ] None  
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:    
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  European  
Commission Document SANCO/2005/1318 (available in English). When a dopted, it will be 
published at the Official Journal available at: http://europa.eu.int/eur-  
lex/lex/JOYear.do?year=2005 . 
 G/SPS/N/EEC/268 
Page 2  
 
 The scientific risk assessments related to the substances mentioned in the draft Directive are 
available at : http://www.efsa.eu.int/science/af c/afc_opinions/catindex_en.html
 
Further to Document SANCO/2005/1318, information relevant to this proposal can be found:  
(a) in the opinions and minutes of EFSA available  respectively at: 
http://www.efsa.eu.int/science/af c/afc_opinions/catindex_en.html  
and 
http://www.efsa.eu.int/science/afc/afc_meetings/catindex_en.html ; 
(b) on the Websites of the EEC Joint Research Center on Food Contact Materials at: 
http://cpf.jrc.it/webpack/ ;  
(c) on the website of DG Health  and Consumer Protection at: 
http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/food/ch emicalsafety/foodcontact/index_en.htm.  
10. Proposed date of adoption:   October 2005 (at this time is not possible to estimate a more 
specific date). 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:   1 January 2007 
12. Final date for comments:  Sixty (60) days after the date of notification.   
Comments may be welcome at any time. They will be considered at the occasion of a new modification of Directive 2002/72/EC relating to  plastic materials and articles intended to 
come into contact with foodstuffs.  
Agency or authority designated to handle  comments:  [ X ] National notification 
authority, [   ] National enquiry point, or  address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:    
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notificati on authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, 
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: