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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(78)762
Vol.1978/0277

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(78)762 final .
Brussels .16January 1979 .
Draft Council Resolution
ontheapplication ofunit pricing
<
tofoodstuffs andnon-food household products
prepackaged inpredetermined quantities .
(submitted totheCouncil bytheCommission )
^ • 'NP*.teT-v
OOM(78 )762final .

EXPLANATORY MMORJUTDUM
1.On26May1977,"theCommissionsenttotheCouncilaproposalfora
Directiveonthedisplayoffoodstuffprices(l).TheEconomicand
SocialCommitteeandtheEuropeanParliament ,consultedpursuantto
Article235 "theTreaty,gavetheiropinionson27October1977
(2)andon16February1978(3).Theproposalwasdrawnupinthe
lightoftheprioritieslaiddowninthepreliminary programmecf
theEuropeanEconomicCommunityforaconsumerprotectionandinfor­
mationpolicy(4)•Itsaimistomakeiteasierforconsumersto
oomparepricesattheplaceofsaleandtostimulatecompetitionin
theconsumer'sinterest,Article10oftheproposalforaDirective
laysdowntheconditionsundt?whichexemptionsmaybegrantedfor
foodstuffsprepackaged inaccordancewiththerang©ofnoisinalquan­
titieslaiddownatCommunitylevel.
2.InthelightoftheopinionsgivenbytheEuropeanParliamentandthe
EconomicandSocialCommittee,theCommissiontookthe.viewthata
periodoffiveyearswaasufficientfordevelopments inrespectof
thestandardization ofprepackaging atnationalandConmxRitylevel.
On29Kay1978,itaccordingly BanttotheCouncil,byvirtueofth®
secondparagraphofArticle149,thetextoftheamendmentstothe
proposedDirective.
3.Inreopons®toconcernexpressedinseveralMemberStates,theCoauaie-
eionhassetoatinthisdraftResolutiontheguidelineswbiohshould
befollowedindevelopingstandardization atnationalandCossarunity
level,andthetypesofproductsprepackagedinpredetermined quantities
whichwillqualifyforexemptionfromtheobligationtodisplaythepri­
cebyunitmeasurement.ThisproposalalsoconfirmstheCouncil'sundez*-
„•takingtoadoptwithintheperiodspecifiedinArtlole9(2)ofthepro­
>posalforaDirectivetheprocedureforapplicationoftheobligationto
■rf.displaytheprice"byunitofne&nuresentoffoodstuffsprepackagedin
;f'predetermined quantities.
(l)OJHoC167of14July1977»page4
(2,OJHo010of23January1978#psg®15
(3)OJBo063of13March19?8,pag«48
(4)OJHoC92of25April1975.page9(point35).

TA9CoffimxssionalsopromisedtheEuropeanParliamentthatnon-foodhouse­
holdproduct3would "besubjecttotheobligationtodisplaypricesper
unitofmeasurement inthesameasfoodstuffs *Sincesuchproducts
aregenerallyprepackaged inpredetermined quantities,itseemedoppor­
tunetomakethe®subjecttotheobligationtodisplaythepriceperunit
ofiseasurementinthesamewayasfoodstuffsprepackagedinpredetermined
quantities#
TheaiaofthisproposalistoinducetheCounciltoadopttheprovisions
concerningthaindicationofthasellingpriceand,ifpossible,theprio*
byunitofmeasurementofnan-foodhouseholdpro6uotse

DRAFT
Council Resolution ontheapplication ofunit pricing tofoodstuffs and
non-food household products prepackaged inpredetermined quantities .
THECOUNCIL CPTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ,
Having regard totheTreaty establishing theEuropean Economic Community ;
Having regard tothe draft from theCommission ;
Whereas thepreliminary programme oftheEuropean Economio Community on
consumer protection andinformation provides forthedrawing upof
common principles regarding thedisplay ofprice perunit ofweight or
volume :
/
Whereas theCommission forwarded totheCouncil aproposal foraDirective
onconsumer protection inthemarking anddisplay ofthe prices offoodstuffs
calling ,inparticular ,forthedisplay ofprices "byunit ofmeasurement of
foodstuffs (l);
Whereas thestandardization ofpackaging islikely tofaciliiate on-the-spot
comparisons "bytheconsumer when itestablishes simple andeasily comparable
quantity ranges ;
Whereas itisnecessary toreplace ,whenever possible ,theobligation to
display theprice perunit ofmeasurement bythestandardization ofpackaging
Whereas aneffort tostandardize packaging isnowunder way atCommunity and
national level and itisnecessary totake aocount oftheprogress which has
been orisbeing made ; -
(l)OJHo0167of14July 1977 ,page4

4.
Whereas thoproposal foraDirective debars toalater date theadoption
bytheCouncil oftheprocedures forapplying unit ,pricing tofoodstuffs
prepackaged inpredetermined quantities ;
Whereas non-fcod household products arenotcovered bytheabove proposal
foraDireotive andprovisions concerning thedisplay ofthaprices ofthese
products ,inparticular unit pricing tshould beadopted {
Whereas theCouncil therefore undertake nowtoadopt ,onaproposal from the
Commission ,within aperiod offive years ,supplementary measures concerning
thedisplay ofprices offoodstuffs andnon-food household products prepacka ^
gedinpredetermined quantities ;
UNDERTAKES tolaydown within aperiod offive years ,from thedate onwhich
thedirective onconsumer protection inthemarkina anddisplay nf prif-r ><*
offoodstuffs isadopted ,onaproposal from theCommission ,theprocedures
forapplication oftheobligation todisplay theprice byunit ofmeasurement
offoodstuffB prepackaged inpredetermined quantities ;
UNDERTAKES toadopt before that date ,onaproposal from theCommission ,
measures concerning theindication ofselling price andtheprice byunit of
measurement ofhousehold produots ;
CONSIDERS that theranges ofquantities which satisfy thefollowing criteria
will qualify forexemption from the price perunit ofmeasurement :
-they aresimple andinvolve only asmall number ofsizes ,
-they involve only sizes sufficiently distinot from each other topermit easy
comparison ,
-they areuniform forthesame ,crvery similar produots ,
-they involve asfaraspossible only sizes which aresimple multiples or
submultiples ofakilogramme oralitre ,
-they correspond toranges inquantity ofthecontents :

NOTESthattheCommissionwillforwardtotheCouncilingoodtimesuch
proposalsasarerequiredtoensurethatthedevelopment ofstandardiza­
tionatnationalleveldoesnotcausanewtechnicalbarrierstotrade*The
Cooaissionwillcoordinatetheeffortsofstandardization undertakenatthe
nationallevelbysettingupregularcontactsbetweentheappropriate admi­
nistrations andspecializedbodies.