WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/EEC/388 
4 October 2010 
 (10-5039) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Notifying Member:  EUROPEAN UNION
 
If applicable, name of local government involved:    
2. Agency responsible:  Commission of the European Communities. Health & Consumers 
Directorate-General Directorate E - Safety of the Food 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 dr inking water (HS Codes:  3919, 3920, 3923 and 
3924;  ICS Code:  67.250) 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:    
5. Title of the notified document:  Draft Commission Regulation on plastic materials and 
articles intended to come into contact with food  Language:  English  Number of 
pages:  116  
http://members.wto.org/crnattach ments/2010/sps/EEC/10_3672_00_e.pdf  
6. Description of content:  The proposed Regulation is a specific measure within the 
meaning of the framework Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004, which sets out the main 
principles and procedures applicable to food co ntact materials.  This specific Regulation 
will consolidate in one regulation the EU re gulatory framework on plastics.  Currently 
those rules are dispersed over six Directives and eight amendments covering basic rules for 
plastic materials, lists of authorized substances and rules for migration testing from plastic materials.  
In addition it will clarify our interpreta tion stemming from the Regulation (EC) No 
1935/2004 that nano materials can only be used with prior authorization.  
The Regulation will also authorize the use of 21 new substances. 
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.    G/SPS/N/EEC/388 
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  8. Is there a relevant international stan dard?  If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex standard 
or related text)   
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)    
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)    
[X] None Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?   
 [ ] Yes   [ ] No 
 If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:    
9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:  Further to 
Document SANCO 2009 11033, information relevant to this proposal can be found on the 
website of DG Health and Consumers at:  http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/chemi calsafety/foodcontact/index_en.htm
  
When adopted it will be published at  the Official Journal available at: 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu  
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) :  January 2011 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) :  January 2011 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  [ ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) :  On the 20th day following its publication in the Official Journal of the 
European Union. 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments:  [X] Sixty days  from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) :  3 December 2010 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [X] National Notification 
Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address (if 
available) of other body:   
European Commission 
DG Health and Consumers, Unit D3 - In ternational questions (multilateral)  
Rue Froissart 101 B 1049 Brussels Tel:  +322 29 68185/59922 
Fax:  +322 29 98090 
E-mail:  sps@ec.europa.eu  G/SPS/N/EEC/388 
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  13. Texts available from:  [X] National Notification Authority, [X] National Enquiry 
Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:    
European Commission  
DG Health and Consumers, Unit D3 - In ternational questions (multilateral)  
Rue Froissart 101 
B 1049 Brussels 
Tel.:  +322 29 68185/59922 Fax:  +322 29 98090 E-mail:  sps@ec.europa.eu