. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/EEC/209 
12 August 2008 
 (08-3806) 
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@ec.europa.eu
 
Website: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tbt/  
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):   Any goods or services 
which are supplied for distribution, consumption or use on the Community market whether 
in return for payment or free of charge.  Concerning food products, it shall only apply to 
processed food and to the products  of fishing and aquaculture.         
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Proposal for a 
Regulation of the European Parliament a nd of the Council on a Community Ecolabel 
scheme COM(2008)401 (36 pages in English, French and Spanish). 
6. Description of content:   This proposal for a Regulation lays down rules for the 
establishment and application of the Community Ec olabel scheme.  It is designed to replace 
Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 July 
2000 on a revised Community Ecolabel award scheme.  It should streamline the existing EU 
Ecolabel scheme, reduce bureaucracy, widen th e scope to also cover processed food and 
fisheries products and better promote t hose products which have a high level of 
environmental performance through the use of the Ecolabel.  Measures to establish specific 
Ecolabel criteria for each product group will be laid down later on the basis of this 
Regulation.  The Ecolabel scheme is voluntary; however, if operators want to make use of 
it, they need to fulfil the requirements laid down. G/TBT/N/EEC/209 
Page 2  
 
  7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
The overall objective of the proposed Regulation is to encourage the sustainable production 
and consumption of products, and the sustaina ble provision and use of services, by setting 
benchmarks for the good environmental perform ance of products and services, based on the 
top performers in the market. 
8. Relevant documents:   The proposal, the Impact Assessment and supplementary 
information are available at http://ec.eur opa.eu/environment/ecolabel/revision_en.htm 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:   }To be determined 
10. Final date for comments:   90 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 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/Lex UriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0401:FIN:EN:PDF
 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/Lex UriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0401:FIN:ES:PDF  
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/Lex UriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0401:FIN:FR:PDF  
and 
http://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2008/tbt/eec/08_2331_00_e.pdf