. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/N/BEL/26
20 November 2001
(01-5867)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  French
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   BELGIUM
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):
2. Agency responsible:
Ministry of Economic Affairs
Energy Administration
Gas – Electricity Division
North Gate III
Boulevard du Roi Albert II, 16B – 1000 Bruxelles
Tel:  +32 2 206 45 01
Fax:  +32 2 206 57 31
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):   Electricity
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Technical
Regulations for the Management of and Access to the Electricity Transmission Grid
6. Description of content:   In the framework of the liberalization of the Belgian electricity
market, the Technical Regulations specify the tasks and obligations of, firstly, the varioususers of the Belgian electricity transmission grid and, secondly, of the grid administrator,
especially as regards connection (in the broad sense), access to the grid, metering and
measurement, and recourse to the production units and auxiliary services.
In addition to the procedure for connection to the transmission grid, the Technical
Regulations also set out the procedure for access to it.  For that purpose, they establish a
procedure for obtaining the status of "access manager", which requires the preparation of an
"access manager's contract".   The Technical Regulations also assign responsibilities to thisposition and divide between the access manager and the transmission grid administrator the
responsibility for ensuring a balance between the supply and demand for electricity.
In connection with the requirement of ensuring a balance in the transmission grid,
the Regulations also specify the auxiliary services for whose availability and operation the
grid administrator is responsible.  Provision is also made for the measures to be taken by theG/TBT/N/BEL/26
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6. Description of content: (cont'd):
administrator in the event of the unavailabil ity of the auxiliary services, the manner in
which he will obtain auxiliary services and the specifications which they must meet.  The
Technical Regulations provide that, in order to gain access to the grid, users must conclude
a "contract of access", and sets out its terms and conditions, procedure for its establishmentas well as the general conditions.
The Technical Regulations also address the question of interconnections with
foreign grids.  In this regard, for instance, th ey lay down the methods to be followed by the
transmission grid administrator so as to evaluate the transmission capacities available and
manage bottlenecks.
They also describe the measures to be taken by the grid administrator in the event of
an emergency, as well as the "safety code" and the "reconstitution code" for the grid, which
specify, amongst other things, the operational procedures applicable to the various users of
the transmission grid in the event of an emergency or a breakdown of the system.
Moreover, since Belgium is a federal State in which responsibilities for the
transmission and the distribution of electricity are assigned respectively to the central
government and the federal units, the Technical Regulations set out, in order to ensure
coordination, the framework which will govern any exchange of data between the various
grid administrators.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
The "Grid Code" is a key element in the opening up of the Belgian electricity
market since it establishes the right of access to the grid for eligible users.  It also sets out
the various procedures and obligations of all those involved in the electricity market with a
view to ensuring a balance between supply and demand for electricity in the Belgian area ofcontrol.  Furthermore, it establishes, on the one hand, the conditions for coordination
between the administrator of the Belgian transmission grid and foreign administrators and,
on the other hand, the framework for interconnections with these foreign grids with a view
to facilitating the establishment of a European electricity market.
8. Relevant documents:           
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force: }60 days
10. Final date for comments:           
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax
numbers, e-mail and web-site address, if available of the other body:   CIBELNOR