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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(80)557
Vol.1980/0180

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(80)557 final
Brussels ,20October I98O
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PROPOSAL FOR ACOUNCIL DIRECTIVE
ONTHE APPROXIMATION OFLAWS OFTHE MEMBER STATES
RELATING TOTHE INDICATION OFTHE ORIGIN
OFCERTAIN TEXTILE AND CLOTHING PRODUCTS
(submitted totheCouncil "bytheCouncil )
C0I-H80 )557final

III/1478/80-EN
Explanatory Memorandum.'• .-– - ■!
Desiringtoprovidefortheneedtoinformconsumersaboutthe
originoftheproductwhichtheymaybeintendingtobuy,somemember-
stateshaverecentlylaunchedinitiativeswiththeaimofregulating
autonomously theindication .oftheoriginofcertaintextileand
clothingproducts.
Thefollowingnationalmeasuresareinvolved:
-Franceintendstoapplyasfrom1stOctober1980theautonomous
measuresprovidedforbydecreen°79.750of29August1979/
publishedintheJ.O.of7September1979,asamendedbydecree
N°80.281of,15April1980,publishedintheJ.O.of21April1980;
-TheUnitedKingdomispreparing adraftregulation,Denmarkhad
alreadyenvisaged alikeregulationin1978andItalyhasindicatedto
Commissionofficialsthatitalsoenvisages anationalregulation .
Allthemeasuresreferredtoaboverisktoconstitute,either
inthemselves,orbythedifferences betweenthem,abarrieroh
thefreecirculation ofgoodswithintheCommunity.i
TheCommission sentacommunication totheCouncilon12March1980
"concerningtextileproblemsassociated withthequestionoforigin
marking"(1).InthattexttheCommission indicatedthelinesofaction
whichitintendedtofollow,concerningnotablytheproblemsoforigin
marking,inrespectofwhichitisoftheopinionthatacommonsolution
shouldbesoughtinordertorespondinaconcretemannertothedesire
fortheinformation oftheconsumerabouttheoriginofproducts.
(1)COM(80)110final/2

-2-
Sincethen/inthestatement madetoCOREPERontheorigin
markingofcertaintextileandclothingproductson23July1980/the
Commission hasstateitsintentiontoseekaCommunitysolutionwhich
takesaccountofboththeconcernofcertainmember-states inthematter
ofconsumerinformation andthemaintenance oftheproperfunctioning
oftheCommonMarket.Ithasfurthermore definedthefollowingcriteria
forcompatibility withtheprinciplesofthefreecirculation ofgoods:
-noobligation onamanufacturer toattachanoriginmarkhimselfina
permanent manner;
-noobligationforanindicationoforiginatthetimeofimportation ;
-obligation toindicateoriginsolelyatthepointofretailsale;
-sufficientflexibility intheformandmannerofindicatingoriginto
enableretailerstomeetthisobligationeasilythemselves;
-selectionofproductsforwhichtheindicationoforigin/inthe
sensedefinedabove/constitutes anecessary meanstoobtaintheresult
sought.
Takingintoaccounttheseveralnationalinitiatives theCommission
nowconsidersitopportunetotransmittotheCouncilaproposalfora
directiveconcerning theapproximation ofmember-states legislation
ontheindicationoforiginofcertaintextileandclothingproductsin
accordance withtheprinciples setoutabove.
Byvirtueoftheprovisions ofthedirective/themember-states
havetotakethenecessarystepsfortheindicationoforiginofthese
productsatthestageoffinalconsumption tobebasedonthesamecriteria
withintheCommunity.-
\
. ' ./.

3- III/1478/80–EN
Furthermore theyhaveto.takethenecessarystepssothatthe
variouscommercialoperationoperatorsareinapositiontoknowthe
originoftheproducts/whetherthesearemanufactured withinoroutside
theCommunity,sothatatthestageoftheofferforsaletothefinal
conmerthesellerhasathisdisposalthecompleteandtrueinformation .
However/theCommission hasnotthoughtitnecessarytoinclude/inits
proposalforadirective,thegeneralobligationoftheindicationof
originoftheseproductsforallmember-states /buttoleavetothe
latterthechoicewhethertomakeitcompulsory onthebasisoftheirown
appraisaloftheneedforinformingtheconsumer.
Furthermore/desiringtoensurethefreecirculation ofgoods/
therecaninnocasebeanobligation toindicatetheoriginating
member-state /thecommercial operatorhavingthechoiceamongseveral ;
possibilities .Inthesamesense/thesystemproposedfortheindica­
tionoforiginsetsouttoavoidanyobligationorcontrolatthestage
ofthefrontierbeingcrossed..

III/1478/8Q-EN
■N
C^IDËRANTS
ProposalforaCouncildirectiveontheapproximation oflawsoftheMem
berStatesontheipdicationoftheoriginofcertaintextileand
clothingproducts.
THECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishing theEuropeanEconomicCommunity
andinparticularArticle100thereof,-,
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCommission,
HavingregardtotheOpinionoftheEuropeanParliament,
HavingregardtotheOpnionoftheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
WhereascertainMemberStateshavemadeorintendtomakeprovision
concerning anindicationoftheoriginoftheseproducts,
Whereastheseprovisions varyfromoneMemberStatetoanother,giving
risetoobstaclestothefunctioning oftheCommonMarket,
Whereastheseobstacles canbeavoidediftheindication oforiginof
theseproductsissubjecttorulesharmonised atthelevelofthe
Community;
Whereasitisadvisabletoensurethattheserulesdonotleadinany
waytoarestriction ofthetradeingoods,whereasinconsequenceitis
advisabletoprovidefortheindicationoforiginonlyatthestageof
theoffer-forsaleoftheproducttothefinalconsumer;

III/1478/80-EN
Whereasitisindispensable thatallthemember-states takethe
necessarystepssothatatthestageofthesaletothefinalconsumer
withintheCommunitythisindicationisbasedonthesamecriteria;
withoutitbeingnecessarytomaketheindicationoforiginobligatory
Whereastheinformation enablingtheoriginoftheseproductstobe
determinedhastobeavailableatallstagesoftheindustrialor
commercialcycle/
»
HASADOPTEDTHISDIRECTIVE :
Article 1.
Thepresentdirectivehasasitsobjecttheapproximation of
nationallegislation concerningtheindicationoftheoriginofthe
textileandclothingproductssetoutintheAnnex.■ .
Article2.
1.Themember-states canonlymaketheindicativeoforiginobli­
gatoryatthestageoftheofferforsaleofthepcoducttothefinal
consumer.
* '
2mThemember-states shallprovidefortheoptionofcommercial ,
operatorsaffixingtheindicationoforiginatastageoftheindus-
.trialorcommercialcyclepriortothatofthesaletothefinal
'consumer.Ifthatisnotthecase/thecommercialoperatorsacting
atthestagesofthe,industrialorcommercialcyclepriortothatof
thesaletothefinalconsumershallberequiredtosupplyinwriting
theinformationnecessarytodeterminetheoriginoftheproduct.

-3- III/1478 /80-EN
3.- This information istosupplied inaccordance with the
provisions ofCommission regulation (EEC)N°749/80 (1)of10April
1948 ,onthedetermination oftheorigin oftextile andclothing
products and itsamendments ;which wasmade inimplementation of
Council Regulation (CEE)N°802/68 (2)of27June 1968 ,concerning
thecommon definition ofthe concept oftheorigin ofgoods .
4. Theaffixing oftheindication oforigin mayalso bereplaced
bysuch information 'aswill enable origin tobedetermined /when the
products aredelivered inperformance ofagovernment order oran
order placed bysome other legal person governed bypublic law .
•/ . ' -
Article 3.
1. Theindication oforigin ,with which thetextile andclothing ,
products listed intheannex arefurnished orbywhich they areaccom­
panied ,shall besupplied inthefollowing manner :
<«
-forproducts originating inamember-state ofthe EEC ;bythe indi­
cation "Made inthe EEC". The member>-states leave tothe commercial
operators concerned the choice ofreplacing orcompleting -this indi­
cation bythat ofthename oftheoriginating member-state .
χ
./-forproducts originating inthird countries :bythe indication
"Made in..." followed bythename ofthethird country of'origin ,
determined inaccordance with theorigin rules provided for in
Article 2paragraph 3above .
A
2. Themember-states leave tothecommercial operators theoption
*ofexpressing theabove mentioned indication inoneoftheofficial
languages oftheCommunity .
(1)J.0.L101 of14/4/1980
<2)J.0 .L148 of23/6/1980

-4- III/1478 /80-EN
Article 4.
Themanner inwhich origin isindicated mayvary according tothe
product inquestion .Itisnotnecessary that theindication should be
permanent incharacter .The member-states shall leave tothe
economic operators theoption ofchoosing among thefollowing methods :
-anindication shown ontheproduct .itself oronalabel attached
totheproduct ;
-anindication shown onthepackaging iftheproduct isindividually
packed ; .
-anindication displayed with theproduct ,ornear theproduct ,ifthe
product does not lend itself totheattachment ofanindication ofthe
origin ;
-anindication oforigin shown inthecatalogues and offers for sale
ofmail-order houses .
Article 5.
1. Theindications oforigin shall bedisplayed intypographic
characters which areeasily legible andclearly visible .They shall
beclearly separated from anyother indication orinformation with the
exception oftrade-marks ortrade-names .However ifthe trade-mark
ortrade-name comprises innoun ,adjective orroot form any indication
which could beconfused with theindication oforigin ,theindication
ofthetrade-mark ortrade-name should beclearly separate .
2. Twoorseveral products which habitually form aninseparable
unit may beprovided with only oneindication oforigin .

5- III/1478/80–EN
Article6.
i '' ■ •
1.Themember–states,whodonotmaketheindicationoforigin
obligatory ,shalltakethenecessarystepssothatallindications of
originwithwhichthetextileandclothingproductssetoutinthe
annexarefurnishedorbywhichtheyareaccompanied areinconfor­
mitywiththeprovisionsofthepresentdirective.Theyshallequally
takethestepsneededsothattheprovisionsofparagraph 2ofarticl*
' t 1
2areobserved .inallcases. .
2.Themember-states mayforreasonsconcerningindications of
originneitherprohibitnorhinder.theofferingforsaleoftextile
andclothingproductsifthesesatisfytheprovisionsofthepresent
directive.
3.Thestepstakenbyvirtueofthisdirectiveareinnocasetp
beappliedinamannertocreateobstaclestotrade.
. Article7.
1.TheMemberStatesshallputintoeffectthemeasuresnecessary
inordertoconformwiththepresentdirectiveby.../
(sixmonthsfromitsadoption)andshallfortwithinformtheCommission
thereof. , 7
2.TheMemberStatesshallensurethatthetextsofthemainprovi­
sionsofnationallawwhichtheyadoptinthefieldcoveredbythis
directive arecommunicated totheCommission ,,
Article8S
ThisDirectiveisaddressedtotheMemberStates.
DoneatBrussels,-

-6- III/I478/80–EN
NNEX.
LISTEOFPRODUCTS COVEREDBYTHISDIRECTIVE.
NIMEXE DESCRIPTION
Chapter60 Knitwear
Chapter61 Clothesandclothingaccessories
oftextilefabric
62.01 Blankets
62.02 Bedlinen,tablelinen,toilet
linen,officeandkitchenlinen,
curtains,netcurtainsandother
furnishingarticles.