. /.  WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/EEC/92 
13 October 2005 
 (05-4673) 
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@cec.eu.int 
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [ X ], 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):   Electric cables 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Draft Commission 
Decision amending Decision 2000/147/EC implementing Council Directive 89/106/EEC as regards the classification of the reaction to fire performance of construction products 
(5 pages, in English) 
6. Description of content:   The draft Decision establishes the classes of reaction to fire 
performance for cables, the re levant test methods, the classification criteria and the 
additional classification options. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
The legislative activity carried out in the framework of Council Directive 89/106/EEC on 
fire-related issues is aimed at  ensuring the good functioning of the internal market while 
assuring a high level of safety in the Member States. 
The harmonisation activity intends to provide Me mber States with identical risk criteria and 
to allow the involved industry to express the fi re performance of their products in a common 
European way. 
According to Article 20 of Council Directiv e 89/106/EEC the establishment of classes of 
requirements shall be adopted by the Commissi on if they are in accordance with the opinion 
of the Standing Committee on Construction. 
 G/TBT/N/EEC/92 
Page 2  
 
  Commission Decision 2000/147/EC (OJEU L50 of 23.02.2000) established a general 
classification system for the reaction to fire performance of construction products. 
Following a review of certain product familie s, separate classes of reaction to fire 
performance should be established for electric cables. 
Expert work on details regarding classes of re action to fire performance for electric cables 
was used to propose this classification. The clas sification criteria are necessary for effective 
protection of people in case of fire. 
For each class, the Annex of the draft Deci sion defines one or several test methods, 
classification criteria, and also parameters of additional classification. With regard to the 
latter, for a given class, national authorities would be entitled to regulate according to their 
needs, when they define the fire performanc e requirements for products for specific uses in 
their territory, but would not be obliged to do so. 
8. Relevant documents:         
- Draft Commission Decision amending Decision 2000/147/EC implementing Council 
Directive 89/106/EEC as regards the classificati on of the reaction to fire performance of 
construction products 
- Commission Decision 2000/147/EC implementing Council Directive 89/106/EEC as 
regard the classification of the reaction to  fire performance of construction products 
(OJEU L 50, of 23.02.2000, p. 14), as amended by Decision 2003/632/EC of 26.08.2003 (OJEU L 220, of 03.09. 2003, p. 5). 
- - Council Directive 89/106/EEC of 21.12.1988 on the approximation of laws, regulations 
and administrative provisions of the Member  States relating to construction products 
(OJEU L 40, 11.02.1989, p.12) as amended by Council Directive 93/68/EEC of 
22.07.1993 (OJEU L 220, 30.08.1993, p.1) and Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29.09.2003 (OJEU L 284, 31.10.2003, p.1) 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    End 2005 
Upon publication in the Official Journal of 
European Union 
10. Final date for comments:   60 days from date of circulation 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] 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@cec.eu.int