NoC223/62 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 31.8.92
5metresshallbesubjecttotype-examination before
beingplacedonthemarket.
2.2.3.2.Insofarastheprincipalsafetycomponents
—speed-limiting andfall-prevention devices—aresub­
jecttotype-examination atthedesignstage,type-exam­
inationfortheentireliftingapparatusbecomesredun­
dant.Itshouldberememberedthatthedraftamend­
menttotheDirectiveontheuseofworkequipment
requirestheusertocarryouttechnicaltestsbefore
usingtheequipment .
2.2.3.3.Type-examination ofequipmentforthelift­
ingofpersonsshouldapplyonlytothosepartsinvolved
inthisfunction.Otherpartsshouldbecertifiedby
themanufacturerhimselfor,whereappropriate ,under
specificprocedureslaiddowninotherdirectives (eg.
pressurevessels).2.2.3.4.TheCommitteeconsidersthatonsafety
groundstheheightof5mspecifiedinAnnexIIis
unacceptablyhigh.Inmanyoperatingareasreliable
accidentinvestigationandpreventionshowsthat1,5m
canbeasuitableheight.Thatheightof1,5mhowever
cannotapplyinallsectorscoveredbythisDirective,
especiallyinrelationtotype-examination ,andthe
Committeerecommends furtherconsideration ofthe
drafting.
2.2.3.5.Moreover,certainhigh-levelliftingequip­
ment(warehouseoverheadcarriers)aredeliveredin
partsandassembledonsite.Type-examination ofsuch
apparatus,oftenmanufactured onaone-offbasis,is
difficult.
2.3.Inordertoavoidthemanyreferencestoother
legislationinthedraftDirective,theCommission
shouldissueaconsolidatedDirectiveencompassing all
subsequentamendments .
DoneatBrussels,26May1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilRegulation (EEC)amendingRegulation (EEC)No
594/91of4March1991inordertospeedupthephasing-outofsubstancesthatdepletethe
ozonelayer
(92/C223/19)
On7April1992,theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle130SoftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity ,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheEconomicandSocialCommitteedecidedtoappointMrProumensasRapporteur-
GeneralforitsOpinion.
Atits297thPlenarySession(meetingof27May1992),theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionunanimously .
TheCommitteeendorsesthedraftRegulation,subject
tocertaincomments,andcongratulates theCom­
missionontheinclusionofthenewprovisionspriorto
theUNmeetinginCopenhagenattheendof1992
whichistorevisethe1989MontrealProtocol(UN
EnvironmentProgramme).1.Introduction
1.1.ThedraftRegulationamendsRegulation (EEC)
No594/91of4March1991whichitselfderivesfromthe
MontrealProtocolonSubstancesthatdepletetheOzone
Layer.
1.2.Thesubstancescoveredarechlorofluorocarbons
(CFC)11,12,113,114and115,otherfullyhalogenated

31.8.92 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC223/63
2.3.TheCommissioniscurrentlypreparingalistof
exemptionsforpresentationinCopenhagenattheend
of1992andintends,subjecttoUNapproval,todraw
upadetailedlistin1993coveringessentialuses.
2.4.TheCommitteetruststhatthesejustifiedessen­
tialuseswillbewelldefinedinconjunctionwiththe
produceranduserindustries.
2.5.Iftheplannedreductionsandinterimstages
proveacceptable,largelyowingtotheinter-company
agreementsreferredtoinpoint1.7theCommissionand
thecompetentnationalauthoritiesmustensurestrict
applicationofthenewprovisionsandlaydownvery
heavysanctionsatnationalleveltoprecludeillegal
importsfromthirdcountrieswhichhavenotyetsigned
theMontrealProtocol.
2.6.TheCommitteealsocallsontheCommission ,
asapartytotheUNEPnegotiationsanddiscussions,
toensurethatallothernon-Community countriesadopt
equivalentmeasures.CFCs,halons,1,1,1-trichloroethane andcarbontetra­
chloride.Theproductionandconsumptionofallthese
substancesistobereducedinaccordancewithatime­
tablesetoutinRegulation (EEC)No594/91.
1.3.Inthemeantime,observationscarriedoutunder
theUnitedNationsEnvironmentProgramme (UNEP)
haveshownthat:
—theholeintheozonelayerabovetheAntarcticin
1991wasaslargeasithadbeenin1987,1989and
1990,
—forthefirsttime,thelossofozonecoincideswith
anincreaseinultravioletradiationatgroundlevel,
—depletionoftheozonelayerisalsoapparentinthe
Northernhemisphere,
—theconcentration ofchlorineinthestratosphere
seemslikelytoincreasefurtheruptotheyear2000,
notwithstanding thedecisionstakeninMontreal.
1.4.Concludingthattheproposednewmeasures
weretechnicallyfeasible,theUNEPthereforecallsfor
theprocesstobespeededupwithaviewtotheelimin­
ationof:
—allCFCsandhalonsby1January1996ratherthan
1July1997,
—1,1,1-trichloroethane by1January1996ratherthan
1January2005,
—carbontetrachlorideby1January1995ratherthan
1January1998.
1.5.TheCommissiondraftalsoprovidesforgreater
interimreductionsthanenvisaged,intheMontreal
Protocol,with85%reductionforalltheabovemen­
tionedproductsbeingmadeby1January1994.
1.6.Inthisconnection,theCommitteewonders
whetherthisverysubstantialandmorerapidreduction
mightcreatedifficultiesforundertakingsinvolvedin
theproductionofthesesubstances,withjoblosses
beingtheoutcome.
1.7.Thereare,infact,onlyadozenorsoEuropean
producersandtheCommissionisnotopposedtothese
producersworkingtogetherwithaviewtotheattain­
mentofthestatedobjectives.2.7.Otherwise,theprovisionsofthisdraftRegu­
lationwillnotbefullyeffective.Inaddition,European
industriescouldbeputatadisadvantageinthecontext
ofworldtrade.
2.8.Furthermore ,theproductionand/oruseof
HCFCsisabouttobemonitoredworldwide .Thiswill
involvetoxicologicalstudiesoftheircarcinogenicity ,
mutagenicity andteratogencity .TheCommission
shouldassignresponsibilityforthesestudiestoarecog­
nizedEuropeantoxicologyinstitute,suchasECETOC
(EuropeanChemicalIndustry,EcologyandToxicology
Centre—Brussels)which,workinginconjunctionwith
producers,shouldpublishfindingsofinteresttowork­
ersinproductionanduserindustriesandconsumers .
2.9.Intheenvironmental context,theseactivities
couldalsobecoordinatedwiththeworkoftheEuro­
peanEnvironmentAgencyinsofarasecotoxicitycriteria
areconcerned .
3.Specificexemptions
A.Medicinalproducts2.Comments
2.1.Itmustbepointedoutthat,whilsttheremaybe
nodoubtastothescientificaccuracyofthereporton
whichtheUNEPand,consequently ,theCommission
havebasedtheirproposals,thereportdoesnotappear
tohavetakenaccountoftheconsequencesofthevast
quantitiesofgasreleasedintotheatmosphereduring
themajorvolcaniceruptioninthePhilippines.
2.2.Thisimportantfactmustobviouslynotcast
doubtonanyoftheproposedreductionlevelsand
deadlines .3.1.Asregardsmedicinalproducts,theCommittee,
whilstinsistingthatexemptionsshouldbegrantedas
infrequentlyaspossible,thinksthatCFCsstillusedin
productsinaerosolform,andmorespecificallyinthose
intendedforthetreatmentoflungcomplaints,should
notbeprohibitedforgooduntiltheendof1997,as
originallyplanned.

NoC223/64 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 31.8.92
3.2.Thisisaquestionofpublichealthinvolving
extremelylowCFCconsumption levels.TheCom­
missionshouldgetthecompetentnationalauthorities
tospeeduptheregistrationofthistypeofmedicinal
productassoonasthepropellantgaseshavebeen
modified.Theproposedreductionswillthusbebrought
aboutassoonaspossible,withoutthesickbeing
deprivedofessentialremedies.
B.Otherproducts
3.3.Asregardsexemptionsforotheressentialuses,
theCommitteecallsontheCommission toensurethat
theseare:—includedinanapprovedlist,
—accompaniedbyareferencetothe'essential'appli­
cations,
—grantedforalimitedperiod,
—kepttoaminimum.
4.Recycling
4.1.TheCommissionshouldexaminethepossibility
ofrecyclingandeliminatingthesubstancescoveredby
thisRegulation,especiallyfullyhalogenatedCFCsand
halonsusedinindustrialorprivateinstallationssince
beforethesigningoftheMontrealProtocol.
DoneatBrussels,27May1992.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
MichaelGEUENICH
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilRegulation (EEC)layingdownmarketingstandards
forcertainmilkandnon-milkfatsandfatscomposedofplantandanimalproducts(')
(92/C223/20)
On10February1992theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle198oftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity ,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforAgricultureandFisheries,whichwasresponsibleforpreparingtheCom­
mittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon12May1992.TheRapporteurwas
MrQuevedoRojo.
Atits297thPlenarySession(meetingof27May1992),theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionby50votesto20with8abstentions .
1.2.TheCommitteewouldliketoseetheprotection
affordedtothisproductbyitsdefinitionatEClevel
extendedtootherCommunityproducts.1.Generalcomments
1.1.TheCommitteebasicallyapprovestheCom­
missionproposal,inparticularitseffortstoprotecta
productwhosequalityhasledtoahostofimitators
tryingtotakeadvantageofitsreputation.Itis
supremelyimportanttoprovidetheconsumerwith
maximumguaranteesandinformationastothereal
natureofproductsonsale.1.3.Tomatchthescopeoftheproposalitstitle
shouldbereplacedbythefollowing:'Proposalfora
CouncilRegulationlayingdownmarketingstandards
forcertainmilkfatsforuseasspreads,non-milkfats
andblendsthereof'. t1)OJNoC36,14.2.1992,p.12.