. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/EEC/225 
21 October 2008 
 (08-5088) 
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:         
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):   15 pesticide active 
substances. 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Draft Commission 
decision concerning the non-inclusion of certain active substances in  Annex I to Council 
Directive 91/414/EEC and the withdrawal of au thorisations for plant protection products 
containing these substances (6 pages, in English). 
6. Description of content:   This draft Commission decision provides that the substances listed 
in its Annex are not included in the positive Co mmunity list and that Member States have to 
withdraw authorisations for plant protecti on products c ontaining these substances by 
31 December 2010 at the latest. This draft Commission decision only concerns the placing 
on the market of these substances and does not affect the Community or national Maximum 
Residue Levels (MRLs) for residues of the concerned pesticides. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Directive 91/414/EEC concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market 
sets up a harmonised framework for the authorisation and placing on the market of plant protection products in order to protect  human health and the environment. 
 Article 8(2) of this Directive provides a progr amme to be carried out over a period of 12 
years for the gradual examination of the active substances contained in the plant protection 
products on the market. Substances for which the outcome of the evaluation is favourable 
are then included in Annex I of the Directive. The substances listed in the Annex of the draft Commission decision are covered by the fourth stage of this work programme. 
 
The notifiers for the substances listed in the Annex of the draft Commission decision 
informed the Commission that they voluntarily withdrew their support for these active G/TBT/N/EEC/225 
Page 2  
 
  substances. As a consequence, these active s ubstances should not be included in the Annex I 
of Directive 91/414/EEC. However according to the provisions of Article 24 e and 25 (3) of 
Regulation (EC) No 2229/2004, Member St ates will have to withdraw existing 
authorisations by 31 December 2010 at the latest.   
A period of grace for disposal, storage, placing on the market and use of existing stocks of 
plant protection products containing these substan ces allowed by Member States, in accordance 
with the provisions of Articl e 4(6) of Directive 91/414/EEC, shall expire on 31 December 
2011 at the latest. 
8. Relevant documents:   Council Directive 91/414/EEC of 15 July 1991 concerning the placing 
of plant protection products on the market, OJ L 230, 19.8.1991, p. 1. 
http://eur-
lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ. do?uri=CONSLEG:1991L0 414:20070201:EN:PDF  
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
Proposed date of entry into force:    End of December 2008 
20 days from date of publication. 
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
 
 
The text is available on the EC-TBT Website :  http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tbt/    
And at: 
http://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2008/tbt/eec/08_3300_00_e.pdf