. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/N/EEC/7
30 August 2001
(01-4172)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated 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
EC-TBT Enquiry PointFax: + 32 2 299 57 25
Email: ec-tbt@cec.eu.int
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 [ 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):   Products consisting of,
or containing genetically modified organi sms (GMOs), food and food ingredients, feed
materials, compound feeding stuffs and feed additives produced from GMOs (See Article 2
of the proposed Regulation).
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   COM(2001)182
"Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning
Traceability and Labelling of Genetically Modified Organisms and Traceability of Food and
Feed Products Produced from Genetically Modified Organisms and Amending Directive
2001/18/EC" (8 pages, available in all Community languages)
6. Description of content:   The Proposal notified herewith lays down a Community system
for the traceability and labelling of genetically  modified organisms (GMOs) and traceability
of food and feed products produced from GMOs at all stages of their placing on the market.
The general objectives of the Proposal are to facilitate:
• control and verification of labelling claims;
• environmental monitoring;
• withdrawal of products.
To achieve these objectives, the Proposal places obligations on operators to transmit and
retain specified information at each stage of the placing on the market.  Specifiedinformation includes details as to whether products contain or are produced from GMOs.
As a general rule, where a product containing or consisting of GMOs is placed on the
market, the fact that it contains or consists of GMOs must be communicated to all recipients
of the product together with the unique codes assigned to each GMO contained in it.
However, for GMOs intended for food, feed or processing, operators are not obliged toG/TBT/N/EEC/7
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specify the identity of the GMOs containe d in a product, but may instead transmit a
declaration that the product shall only be used as food or feed, or for processing, together
with the identity (unique codes) of all GMOs that the product may contain.
As regards food and feed produced from GMOs or containing any ingredient produced from
GMOs, each ingredient produced from GMOs must be identified as such, or in the absenceof a list of ingredients, the fact that the product itself is produced from GMOs must be
stated.
(For the specific requirements including exceptions please refer to Articles 4, 5 and 6 of the
proposed Regulation.)
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
Health, environment and consumer protect ion, prevention of deceptive practices.
8. Relevant documents:   COM(2001)182. The proposal will be published in the Official
Journal of the E.C., C series.
This Proposal takes account of the requirements of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to
the Convention on Biological Diversity as regard specification of the identity of GMOs as
well as OECD guidelines.
9. Proposed date of adoption:  by the European Parliament and the Council:  summer 2002
Proposed date of entry into force:  on the 20th day following the date of publication of the
Regulation in the Official Journal of the European Communities. Proposed date of
application: 90 days following the date of publication of the Regulation in the Official
Journal of the European Communities.
10. Final date for comments:   27 October 2001
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:
The Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning
traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms and traceability of food and
feed products produced from genetically modified organisms and amending Directive
2001/18/EC is available on http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/index1.html .
English : http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/pdf/2001/com2001_0182en01.pdf
Spanish : http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/es/com/pdf/2001/com2001_0182es01.pdf
Note: This notification is without prejudice to views on the consistency of the notified
measures with or their relevance to rights and obligations under the MultilateralTrade Agreements.