NoC129/18 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 10.5.93
OpinionontheproposalforaCouncilDirectiveonPackagingandPackagingWaste(*)
(93/C129/08)
On11September1992theCouncildecidedtoconsulttheEconomicandSocialCommittee,
underArticle100aoftheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanEconomicCommunity,onthe
abovementioned proposal.
TheSectionforProtectionoftheEnvironment ,PublicHealthandConsumerAffairs,which
wasresponsibleforpreparingtheCommittee'sworkonthesubject,adopteditsOpinionon
2March1993.TheRapporteurwasMrColombo.
Atits304thPlenarySession(meetingof24March1993)theEconomicandSocialCommittee
adoptedthefollowingOpinionbyasubstantialmajority,withtwodissentingvotesandone
abstention .
1.Introduction 2.Generalcomments
2.1.NecessityandurgencyofCommunitylegislation
1.1.TheproposedDirectiveisakeylinkinthe
interfacebetweenenvironmentalprotectionpolicyand
thecompletionoftheInternalMarket.Conflicting
interestsareatstake,andtheproblemisaggravatedby
thedifferingnationalapproachesandsystems.Aprecise
definitionofthesubsidiarityprincipleinthisparticular
sphereisalsoneeded.2.1.1.TheCommitteeviewstheproposedDirective
asafirststepintherightdirection.Itsetsprecise
objectivesandprovidesaCommunityinstrumentwhich
cangraduallybetightenedupwhileleavingtheMember
Statessomeflexibilityasregardsapplication .
1.2.Theproposalisinkeepingwiththerationaleof
theFifthEnvironmental ActionProgrammeinthatit
doesnottakeasolelyregulatoryapproach,laysdown
long-termtargets,andusesawiderangeofeconomic,
andmarketinstruments .2.1.2.Suchaninstrumentwouldseemoftheutmost
urgencyasdelaysintheformulationofEClegislation
inthissectorhavealreadygeneratedaproliferationof
differingnationalstrategies.Thelongerittakesto
establishCommunityguidelines,themoredifficultit
willbetoovercomethepracticalobstaclesinherentin
thesedifferingstrategiesandremedytheenvironmental
damagecausedbyinaction.
2.1.3.Furthermore ,thereferenceframeworkpro­
videdbyEClegislationwillserveasaspurforMember
Statesandregionswhichhavebeenslowtoact.In
thiscontexttheCommitteecallsforguidelinesand
instrumentstoassistthecatching-upprocess(see2.3.5
below).1.3.TheCommitteehasstriventomakeaneffective
contributionbyassemblingthefullestpossibleinfor­
mationandholdingdirectconsultationstoascertain
theviewsofallpartiesinvolved(producers,usersat
thevariousstagesofthedistributionchain,tradeorgan­
izations,consumerandenvironmental associations),
andbyencouraginganopenexchangeofviews.A
hearingorganizedforthispurpose(reportappended)
providedanopportunitytoassesstheproposalandits
implicationsindetail,theaimbeing(a)toputforward
practicalsolutionswhicheffectivelyinvolvethevarious
tiersofresponsibility and(b)todeterminewhat
accompanying measuresareneeded.2.2.Objectives
2.2.1.Theproposal'smainobjectiveistominimize
thetotalimpactontheenvironmentofpackagingand
packagingwaste,takingintoaccountnotonlyquanti­
tativebutalsoqualitativeaspectsandchemicalcompo­
sition(see15threcitalinthepreamble).Italsoseeksto
avoidbarrierstotradeanddistortionofcompetition, (!)OJNoC263,12.10.1992,p.1.

10.5.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC129/19
whileguaranteeingahighlevelofenvironmental pro­
tection(see11threcital).andacceptabilitywhilelimitingpackaginginlinewith
thenatureoftheparticularproduct.Fromthequality
angle,theuseofnoxiousanddangeroussubstances
mustbekepttoaminimumaridtheirenvironmental
impactassesseduptoandincludingthestageoffinal
disposal.Suitablepackagingisneededtoprevent
deteriorationofthecontents(especiallyfoodstuffsof
agriculturalorindustrialorigin)whichwouldaggravate
waste.2.2.2.Theproposedmeasuresformpartandparcel
oftheCommunity'swastemanagementstrategy(^
whichgivesprioritytoprevention,recoveryandrecyc­
ling,inthatorder.Finaldisposalcomeslastonthelist.
2.3.Legalbasis,scopefornationalinitiative,subsidi­
arity2.2.3.TheCommitteeisawarethatpackagingonly
accountsforpartoftotalwasteoutput(25%-35%by
weightofdomesticwaste),andthereisclearlyno
denyingitssocio-economic contribution (safetransport
—hygiene—consumerinformation).However,itgener­
allydoescausesignificantenvironmentalproblems,and
soactionisneededtoreduceit.Thefollowingorder
ofpriorityshouldthereforebeconsidered :
—elimination/reductionofsuperfluouspackaging;2.3.1.Thoughtheproposal'saimistoprotectthe
environment ,theCommissionhaschosenArticle100a
aslegalbasissincecompletionoftheInternalMarket
andfreemovementofgoodsareclearlyimpededby
divergingstrategies,whichcreatenewbarriers. —prevention/reductionofthevolumeofone-way
packagingandorganizationofseparatecollection
andprocessingsystems,keepingwastetransportto
anabsoluteminimum;
—re-useofpackaging(multi-usesystem);2.3.2.IntheCommittee'sview,itcannotbeargued
thatuseofthislegalbasisrelegatesprotectionofthe
environmenttosecondplaceandstandsinthewayof
morestringentrules,sinceArticle100a(3)statesthat
harmonization istobebasedonahighlevelofprotec­
tionand,aboveall,Article100a(4)statesthataMember
StatemaynotifytheCommissionofnationalprovisions
deemednecessaryongroundsofmajorneedsrelating
toprotectionoftheenvironment,providedthatthey
donotconstitutedisguisedrestrictionsontrade.—recyclingofpackagingwaste(withmaterialand
chemicalrecyclingtakingpriorityoverinciner­
ation);
—onlyinthelastresort,finaldisposal.
2.2.4.Inpursuingthisorderofpriority,theeffective­
nessofrecoverysystemsaswellasthesocio-economic
impactofthemeasuresmustbeconsidered,andappro­
priatecorrectiveactiontaken.Ananalysisofthelifecy­
cleofmaterialsisurgentlyneeded,inordertogear
targetsmorecloselytotherecyclingpotentialand
environmental impactofthedifferentmaterials.Multi­
usepackagingispreferableunlessthereareobjections
onthebasisoflife-cycleanalyses.2.3.3.Further,theCommitteeregardsArticle13as
providingsufficientscopeforrequirementsregarding
appraisalofcompliancebynationalmeasuresanddoes
notruleouttheexaminationofeconomicmeasures
adoptedbytheMemberStates.Asregardscriteria,the
proposalcomprisestwosetsofprovisions:AnnexII,
whichoutlinesessentialrequirements ,andArticle12
relatingto'standardization '.
2.2.5.WhenframingECpackagingrules,theright
balancemustbeobservedbetweencontainersandtheir
contentsinordertoensurehygieneandconsumersafety2.3.4.ItisworthnotingthatthoseMemberStates
whichalreadyhavehighlydevelopedrulesandmanage­
mentsystemstendtoinvoketheprincipleofsubsidiarity
forpurposesofexpandingtheroomformanoeuvreat
nationallevel,incontrasttoMemberStateswhich
lackregulationsorpropercollectionandmanagement
systemsandarefacedwithorganizational ,trainingand
financingproblems. (!)OJNoC122,18.5.1990.

NoC129/20 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 10.5.93
andparticularlyconsumers)mustbeactivelyinvolved
sothatthefinancialburdenandresponsibilities canbe
spreadfairly.2.3.5.Toremedyexistingdiscrepancies ,theCom­
mitteeaskstheCommissiontoconsiderhowbestthe
StructuralFundsandtheCohesionFund,aswellasthe
LIFEscheme,canhelpwiththeimplementation ofthe
requiredmeasures.Hereparticularheedneedstobe
giventothesituationofremoteislandregions.2.4.2.TheCommitteehasreiteratedthisprinciple
formanyyears,notablyinitsOpinionsonthe'Urban
environment'^)andthe'Communityprogrammeof
policyandactioninrelationtotheenvironmentand
sustainabledevelopment'(2),whilehighlightingthe
needforongoingdialogueandadhocstructures.It
hasofferedtomakeavailableitsownexperienceand
contactswiththeorganizationsrepresentedwithinits
forum.2.3.6.Specificmeasureswillhavetobedrawnup
forSMEs,payingspecialattentiontotheirdifficulties
inintegratingintothecollectionandrecoverysystems
operatinginotherMemberStates.
2.3.7.Lastly,thoughitwouldseemthattheflexi­
bilityallowedforintheproposalcanprovidethe
impetusforfar-sightedsolutions,theCommitteefeels
thatthefollowingguidelinesshouldbelaiddownright
nowforcompliancebynationalmeasures:2.4.3.Attentionisdrawntotheactivecontribution
thatconsumers—theendusersofpackaging—canmake
inalteringbehaviouralpatternsandspeedingupthe
changesrequiredtoimprovequalityoflife.
—theyshouldtakeaccountoftheTreatyandotherEC
provisions (especiallythoseconcerningconsumer
protection,health,safetyandhygiene)andconsider­
ationsregardingindustrialproperty,authenticity
andthetechnicalaspectsofthepackagedgoodsand
thematerialsused,2.4.4.Aswellasregulatoryandeconomicmeasures,
theproposedDirectivewillclearlyrequireactionto
informandeducatethegeneralpublicandthespecific
sectorsinvolved.Therelevantsocio-economic andnon­
governmentalorganizationswillhaveakeyparttoplay
here.
2.4.5.EarlierESCOpinionshavepointedoutthat
anextensivetrainingandinformationprogramme,
startingatschool,isneededtopersuadethegeneral
publictoparticipateactivelyinthesortingofwaste.—theyshouldcoverallenterpriseswithoutexception
andnotdiscriminateagainstanytypesofpackaging,
materials,productsorwaste-management systems,
—theymustbeclearlylinkedtothedesiredobjective;
theireffectivenessmustbeprovable,
—atthesametimeanynegativeeffectsontradeshould
bekepttoaminimum,
—implementation requirescloseco-operation
betweenallthoseinvolved:government,business,
consumersandotherconcernedsectors,inaspirit
ofcommunalresponsibilityandnon-discrimination .2.4.6.Othermethodsrecommended bytheCom­
mitteeincludetrainingprogrammesformunicipal
officials,exchangesofinformationamongadministrat­
ivebodies,especiallythoseoflargeconurbations ,cam­
paignstopromoteawarenessandtown-twinning
schemes.
2.4.7.Thehealthriskstostaffinwastecollectionand
sortingactivitiesareanimportantaspectofvocational
trainingassuch.
2.3.8.IftheconflictsbetweenMemberStates'
respectiverequirementsbecomemuchworse,theycould
leadtofragmentation oftheInternalMarketand
uncontrolledtransfersofwastefromoneMemberState
toanother.Suchphenomenacanalreadybeobserved
andarecausingmarketfrictionsandtensions.2.5.Environmental measures,competitiveness and
employment
2.5.1.Whenconsideringtheplannedten-yearreor­
ganizationofcollectionandtreatmentofpackaging
wastewithaviewtoenvironmental protection,atten­ 2.4.Co-responsibility ofeconomicoperators,relevant
authoritiesandconsumers
2.4.1.Toachievetheproposal'saims,thevarious
interestsconcerned(includingthecompetentauthorities(!)OJNoC269,14.10.1991.
(2)OJNoC287,4.11.1992.

10.5.93 NoC129/21 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
3.2.2.Thisapproachmayseeminconsistentwiththe
prioritywhichthewastemanagementstrategyaccords
topreventionatsource,butittakesaccountofthe
redeploymentneedsimplicitinachievementofthetar­
gets.Moreover,thedrasticchangeinhabitswhich
theproposalisinstigatingshouldbringanindirect
reductioninpackagingperse,asexperiencehasshown
insomeMemberStateswhichhavefavouredreuseand
recycling.tionmustalsobepaidtotheimplicationsforemploy­
ment,intermsbothofjoblossesandoftheemergence
ofnewsectorsandspecializations thatcangenerate
newjobs.Employmentconsiderations mustnotactas
adeterrenttotheprovisions,buttheydoimplyastudy
oftherequisiteaccompanying measures.
2.5.2.Anaccurateforecastoftrendsmeansthatearly
actioncanbetakentopromoteredeploymentschemes
andvocationaltrainingtomeetthenewrequirements .
Failuretodothiscouldtriggerthetypeofdefensive
reactionsthathaveoccurredinsomeMemberStates,
whichonlydelaytheimplementation ofthemeasures.
2.5.3.Inaperiodofeconomicdifficulty,recovery
cannotbedivorcedfromsustainabledevelopment ;
indeed,suchdevelopmentcanencourageit.
2.5.4.TheCommitteethereforenoteswithsatisfac­
tiontherecentCouncilResolutiononindustrialcom­
petitivenessandenvironmentalprotection(*),andin
particulartheCouncil'sinvitationtotheCommission
to'givegreateremphasistothedevelopmentofenviron­
mentaltechnologiesincludingcleanertechnologies'.It
wouldaddthattechnologicalinnovationtoimprove
theenvironmentcanbolstercompetitiveness anddevel­
opment,thusalsoboostingemployment .3.2.3.IntheCommittee'sview,theten-years'end­
targetlaiddowninArticles4(1)(a)and4(1)(b)should
beconsideredbinding;theintermediatetargets,which
areleftfortheMemberStatestodetermine,shouldbe
basedontheorderofprioritylistedinPoint2.2.3.
3.2.4.Ifitemergesfromthelifecycleanalysesthat
somematerialsareclearlylessenvironmentally harmful
thanothers,theCommissionproposalthatnodistinc­
tionbemadeshouldbereconsidered .
3.2.5.Thereshouldbemoretechnologicalandscien­
tificresearchsoastoprovideaclearerpictureof
the'lifecycle'ofmaterials;greateremphasisshouldbe
placedonre-useandrecycling.
3.Specificcomments
3.1.Definitions (Article3)3.2.5.1.Moreparticularly,sincetheuseofrenewable
andbiodegradablerawmaterialsofagriculturalorigin
canhelptoreducetheenvironmentalimpactofpackag­
ing,theCommitteerecommendsthattheirpotential
contributionbeexploredfurther,forexamplebymeans
ofspecialresearchprogrammes .3.1.1.Afifthindentshouldbeaddedinparagraph
(a)toinclude'addedpackaging',viz.packagingadded
atthemarketingstagetopackedornon-packedprod­
ucts.
3.2.Quantifiedtargetsandtheglobalapproachto
waste(Article4)3.2.6.IntheCommittee'sview,thechangesimposed
bythenewprovisionsneedtobebackedbyspecific
ECresearchprogrammesontherecoveryofresources
achievablebyseparationofmaterialsandthealterna­
tiveuseofthematerialsthusobtained.Marketsmust
alsobecreatedfortherecycledmaterialsbyencourag­
ingtechnologicalinnovation.Withthisinmind,itis
alsoimportantfortheMemberStatestoremoveexist­
ingconstraintsontheuseofrecycledmaterialswhere
feasible,andrespectinganyhealthregulations.3.2.1.TheCommitteenotesthattheCommission
hasabandonedthestand-stillprovision(seepage13of
theexplanatorymemorandum )layingdownaspecific
quantifiedlimitforpackagingwaste(150kgpercapita
peryear)andhasoptedtokeepfinalwastedisposalto
aminimum(10%byweightwithintenyears),andput
theemphasisonrecovery,includingrecycling(60%by
weightofeachmaterial).
3.2.7.Rapidtechnologicaladvanceshavebeenmade
inprovidingmoreeffectiveconservation,lighterpack­
agingmaterials,andpackagingwhichisbetteradapted
tochangingconsumerneeds.Asaresultoflegislation
andgreaterpublicinterestinthequalityoftheenviron (1)OJNoC331,16.12.1992.

NoC129/22 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 10.5.93
withtheindividualcharacteristicsofparticularcategor­
iesofpackagingwasteandothermitigatingcircum­
stances.ment,environmental impactconsiderations have
alreadypromptedinnovativeprojects,whichmustbe
encouragedonanincreasinglywidescale.
3.5.Marking(Article6)3.2.8.Lastly,thequantifiedtargetsrelatesolelyto
packagingwaste,andnottopackagingassuch.How­
ever,theinformationsystems(Article8)andessential
requirements (Article7)concernpackagingassuch,
whichisbettersuitedtoa'cradletograve'approach
forguaranteeingtheenvironment-friendly qualityof
products.
3.3.Timescale(Article4)3.5.1.Thoughcaremustbetakennottoover-label
products,asthiscouldconfusetheconsumer,marking
isinstrumentalinorganizingcollectionsystems;hence
itmustbedetailedandCommunity-wide .Tofacilitate
tradewithnon-ECcountries,asolutionshouldprefer­
ablybefound,atleastattheleveloftheOrganization
forEconomicCooperationandDevelopment (OECD).
3.5.2.ThesymbolsproposedinAnnexIhavebeen
criticizedasnotbeingsufficientlyclearandneedto
beimproved.Usingthesamesymbolforrecoverable
packagingandpackagingforincineration [AnnexI,1
(b)]willcauseconfusion,aswilltheoptionofindicating
thepercentageofrecycledmaterialused,sincethisis
oftendifficulttodetermine.3.3.1.Thetenyearperiodenvisagedbytheproposal
forimplementingtheobjectivestakesaccountofthe
diversityandshortcomingsofexistingwastemanage­
mentinfrastructure ,andwillfacilitateaflexibletran­
sitionintheMemberStatesforattainingintermediate
targets.
3.3.2.However,itwouldbeadvisabletoadjustthe
intermediatetargetsinthelightofscientificresearch
findingsandtheprogressmadebytheMemberStates.
Thereviewtobecarriedoutaftersixyearsshouldbe
broughtforwardtothreeyears,tocoincidewiththe
firstreportonimplementation (Article14).
3.4.Returnandmanagementsystems(Articles5and
103.5.3.TheCommitteeinsistsoninvolvementofthe
usersmostcloselyconcerned:thesystemmustbeeasy
tounderstandandprovideobjectiveinformationwhich
cannotbemisinterpreted .
3.5.4.Article6(3)stipulatesthat'packagingshall
indicate,whenneededforitsidentificationandclassifi­
cation,thenatureofthepackagingmaterial(s)used,in
accordancewiththeidentificationsystemdescribedin
AnnexI'.Point1(c)ofAnnexIalreadycontainsnum­
beringsforthevariouspackagingmaterials(e.g.1-19
forplastic,20-39forpaperandcardboard,40-49for
metal).
3.5.5.Althoughtheuseofsuchnumberingisnon­
compulsory,itshouldasfaraspossiblecoincidewith
thenumberingalreadyinusetoday.Forpackaging
madeofaplasticsmaterialwealreadyhavethenum­
beringsystemlaiddownbyDINstandard6120partII.
Underthissystemadditionalmarkingsofbetween01
and07aretobeused,dependingonthetypeofplastic.
Itwouldberationalandpracticaltoincorporatethese
additionalmarkingsintheDirective.Thisisofparticu­
larimportancetoEuropeanCommunityimporthouses.
Inthelastfewyearsithasprovedpossibleaftertough
negotiationstopersuadesuppliers,particularlyoverseas
suppliers,touseonlypackagingmarkedinaccordance
withDINstandards.3.4.1.Undertheprincipleofsubsidiarity,thepro­
posalallowsMemberStatesafairlyfreehandin
implementingreturnsystemsandframingmanagement
plans.
3.4.2.Topreventexcessivedivergenciesineither
timescaleorcosts,stepsshouldbetakennowtoassess
currentschemesandcirculateinformationonthem,so
astodrawonsuccessfulresultsandavoidrepeating
mistakes.Thoughsubsidiarityisintendedtoboost
regionalandlocalprojects,thisdoesnotmeanthere
shouldbenohorizontalcoordination ofinformation
andexperiences .
3.6.Essentialrequirements andstandardization
(Articles7and12)
3.4.3.Topromoteconsistency,Article5should
stipulatethatthemeasuresindicatedinparagraph 1
musttakeaccountoftheorderofpriorityspecifiedin
point2.2.3,subjecttothenecessaryderogationslinked3.6.1.AsnoEuropeanpackagingstandardscurrently
exist,therewillbeatransitionalphaseinwhichdif­

10.5.93 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoC129/23
feringnationalenvironmental protectionstandards
couldimpedefreemovement.Whatisneededisa
speedystandardization drive,atEClevel,inlinewith
theprinciplesintheproposal,withparticularemphasis
onharmonization ofcriteriaandmethodsforevaluat­
ingthelifecycleofpackagingmaterials.Inthisconnec­
tion,referenceismadetotheESCOpinionontheGreen
PaperonthedevelopmentofEuropeanstandardization
whichstresses(point1.7)theimportanceofEuropean
standardsfortheimprovementofprotectionofhealth,
safety,andtheenvironment(*).(Article8)willmakeiteasiertoreshapeinitiativesin
thelightofafullerknowledgeofthefacts.
3.7.4.ThedatabasesprovidedforinArticle8area
keycomponentoftheCommunitylegislation.Tobe
effective,theymustbespeciallytailoredtotheneeds
oftheDirective.OnceagaintheCommitteeexpresses
itsregretsoverthedelayinsettinguptheEuropean
Environmental Agency,whichwasassignedamajor
roleinthe1990CouncilResolutiononwastepolicy.
3.7.5.SpecificactionisneededtoassistSMEs,which
havedifficultiesincompilingdata(2). 3.6.2.AnnexIIlistsessentialconformityrequire­
mentsonthebasisofwhichtheMemberStateswill
authorizeplacingonthemarket;butitdoesnotlist
anyorderofprioritybasedontheDirective'sprinciples.
Sincesuchrequirementswillbeavitalpointofreference
duringthetransitionalphasewhenstandardsaredrawn
up,theAnnexshouldbemorespecifichere.3.8.Economicinstruments (Article11)
3.6.3.TheCommitteelaysparticularstresson
environmental impactaskeycriterioninframing
requirements ,asintheUSlegislation.Hereitmight
bethoughtthatmoreattentionshouldbefocusedon
measuringthedispersalrisksofnoxiousmetalsthan
ontheirlevelsofconcentration inpackaging (AnnexII,
point1,fourthindent).
3.7.Informationsystemsanddatabases(Article8)3.8.1.EarlierESCOpinions,inparticularthaton
thenewCommunityenvironmentprogramme,have
stressedtheneedformarketinstrumentstoguidepro­
ductionandconsumptionalonglinesof'sustainable'
development .
3.8.2.TheCommitteeisthuspleasedtoseethatthe
CouncilResolutionof3December1992concerning
industrialcompetitiveness andenvironmental protec­
tionrecognizesthatsuchinstrumentscaninsomecases
'achieveprogresstowardstheCommunity'senviron­
mentalobjectivesmorecost-effectively thancompul­
soryenvironmentalprovisions'(3).
3.8.3.Theadoptionofsuchinstruments,envisaged
inthefifthprogramme,canhelpavoidenvironmental
damagewhilerespectingthe'polluterpays'principle.
3.8.4.However,recoursetotheseinstrumentsmust
bewell-groundedandtheymustnotresultindistortion
ofcompetition,newbarriersorunjustifiedconstraints
onconsumers.Theiraimsmustbeincorporatedinto
theproposedDirective'sprovisionsandbeconsistent
withthelatter'sobjectives.
3.8.5.Itthereforeseemsclearthatthenotification
providedforinArticle13alsorelatestotheadoption
ofsuchinstruments .3.7.1.Initsexplanatorymemorandum theCom­
missionstatesthat'nooverallpictureexistsatCom­
munityleveleitherofpackagingproductionandcon­
sumptionfiguresorofhowpackagingwasteisbeing
managed'.Further,thememorandum'soverviewof
measurestakenbytheMemberStatesisnotverydetail­
edandprobablyneedstobeupdated,especiallyasthe
Commission'sdepartmentsarecurrentlyappraisingthe
compatibilityofcertainnationalmeasureswithCom­
munityrules.
3.7.2.TheCommitteehasexamineddifferentsetsof
statisticssuppliedfromavarietyofsourcesaswellas
researchfindings,interaliafromDGXIIprojects,
whichgivedifferingpicturesofthesituation.These
findingsneedtobeharmonizedanddatacoordinated
asfaraspossible.3.9.Placingonthemarket(Article15)
3.7.3.ClearlythereportstobeprovidedbytheMem­
berStatesonimplementation ofthemanagementpro­
grammes(Article14)andthecreationofthedatabase3.9.1.Inadditiontothepotentialconstraintsonfree
movementwithintheCommunitythatcouldbecaused
byunduedivergenciesinnationalimplementing
(2)SeetheCouncilResolutiononadministrativesimplification
forenterprises,especiallySMEs(OJNoC331,16.12.1992).
(3)OJNoC331,16.12.1992. (')OJNoC120,6.5.1991

NoC129/24 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 10.5.93
measures,problemswillalsoariseovertheconformity
ofimportsfromnon-ECcountries.Thesematterswill
havetoberegulatedbytheappropriatebodies.
3.10.Adaptationprocedures (Articles16and17)
3.10.1.TheCommitteenotesthereferencetothe
specialproblemsofprimarypackagingforpharmaceut­
icalproductsandmedicaldevices.Safetyconsiderations
argueagainsttheuseofrecycledmaterialsinthese
sectors.Onthesamegrounds,thestipulatedlabelling
andinformationmakeitdifficulttoreducethevolume
ofpackagingastheyareanintegralpartoftheregis­
trationdocuments .3.10.2.Similarproblemscanarisewithprimary
packagingforfoodstuffsaswellassmallpackaging.
TheCommissionreservestherighttotacklethismatter
later,buttheCommitteeasksittoconsiderwhether
provisionshouldbemaderightnowforderogations .
3.10.3.Inviewoftheproposal'sopenapproach,
allowingforevenmajorchangesaftertheinitialstage
ofimplementation ,theCommitteeconsidersthatthe
advisorycommitteeproceduregivestheCommission
excessivefreedomofactionandisonlyacceptable
inthecaseoftechnicalamendments .TheEuropean
ParliamentandtheEconomicandSocialCommittee
mustbeconsultedonanysubstantivechanges,tobe
determinedafterextensiveconsultationsinthespiritof
dialogueadvocatedinpoint2.4above.
DoneatBrussels,24March1993.
TheChairman
oftheEconomicandSocialCommittee
SusanneTIEMANN