NoC 111/10 Official Journal of the European Communities 5. 5. 90 
II 
(Preparatory Acts) 
COMMISSION 
Proposal for a Council Directive amending Council Directive 79/196/EEC on the 
approximation of the laws of the Member States concerning electrical equipment for use in 
potentially explosive atmospheres employing certain types of protection 
COM(90) 13 final - SYN 243 
(Submitted by the Commission on 15 February 1990) 
(90/C 111/11) 
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European 
Economic Community, and in particular Article 100a 
thereof, 
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission, 
In cooperation with the European Parliament, 
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and 
Social Committee, 
Whereas Council Directive 76/117/EEC of 18 
December 1975 on the approximation of the laws of the 
Member States concerning electrical equipment for use 
in potentially explosive atmospheres ('), as last amended 
by the Act of Accession of Spain and Portugal, has, in particular, set out the inspection procedures which this 
equipment must satisfy in order to be imported, put on 
the market and used freely after undergoing the tests and 
being provided with the mark and marking prescribed; 
"Whereas Article 4 (4) of Directive 76/117/EEC provides 
that separate directives shall specify the harmonized 
standards applicable in all the Member States in respect 
of such equipment; 
Whereas Council Directive 79/196/EEC (2), as last 
amended by Directive 88/665/EEC (3), achieved the free 
movement of electrical equipment by applying the types 
of protection listed in Article 1 thereof, and lists in detail 
in Annex 1 the relevant harmonized standards; 
Whereas, in view of the current state of the art, 
harmonized standards for other types of protection and 
for specific equipment are available; whereas in order to 
achieve the free movement of equipment employing these 
new types of protection, it is necessary to extend the 
scope of Directive 79/196/EEC to include those types; 
whereas it is therefore necessary to amend the said 
Directive, 
C) OJ No L 24, 30. 1. 1976, p. 45. O OJ No L 43, 20. 2. 1979, p. 20. 
(3) OJ No L 382, 31. 12. 1988, p. 42. 
5. 5. 90 Official Journal of the European Communities NoC 111/11 
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE: 
Article 1 
Directive 79/196/EEC is hereby amended as follows: 
1. The following is added to Article 1 : 
'— encapsulation "m", 
— intrinsically safe electrical systems "i" '. 
2. References to the following European standards are added to Annex I: 
'EN 50028 Electrical apparatus for potentially 
explosive atmospheres: encapsulation 
"m" 1 February 1987 
EN 50039 Electrical apparatus for potentially 
explosive atmospheres: intrinsically safe 
electrical systems "i" 1 March 1980 
EN 50050 Electrostatic hand-held spraying 
equipment 1 January 1986 
EN 50053 part 1 Hand-held electrostatic paint spray guns 
with an energy limit of 0,24 mj and their 
associated apparatus 1 February 1987 
EN 50053 part 2 Hand-held electrostatic powder spray 
guns with an energy limit of 5 mj and 
their associated apparatus 1 June 1989 
EN 50053 part 3 Hand-held electrostatic flock spray guns 
with an energy limit of 0,24 mj or 5 mj 
and their associated apparatus 1 June 1989' 
Article 2 
Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions 
necessary to comply with this Directive by 1 July 1992 and shall forthwith inform the 
Commission thereof. 
The provisions adopted pursuant to the first subparagraph shall make express reference to this 
Directive. 
Member States shall communicate the texts of the provisions of national law which they adopt 
in the field covered by this Directive to the Commission. 
Article 3 
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.