Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive amending Council Directive 80/181/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to units of measurement'
Date: 1999-04-28
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: EC Directive, approximation of laws, metrology, proposal (EU)

16.6.1999

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 169/1

II

(Preparatory Acts)

ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a European Parliament and
Council Directive amending Council Directive 80/181/EEC on the approximation of the laws of
the Member States relating to units of measurement’ (1)

(1999/C 169/01)

On 23 April 1999 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under Article
100a of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned proposal.

The Section for the Single Market, Production and Consumption, which was responsible for preparing
the Committee’s work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 15 April. The rapporteur was Mr
Stöllnberger.

At its 363rd Plenary Session (meeting of 28 April), the Economic and Social Committee unanimously
adopted the following opinion.

1.

Introduction

Council Directive 80/181/EEC(2) of 20 December
1.1.
1979, as last amended by Directive 89/617/EEC (3), harmonises
the use of units of measurement in the Community. It lays
down as the legal units those of the Système International (SI).

The SI

1.1.1.
is a world-wide system, adopted by the
Conférence Générale des Poids et Mesures (CGPM) in 1960. It
is a coherent version of the metric system, and is described by
the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) in its
standards ISO 1000 and ISO 31.

1.1.2.
A few specific exceptions are allowed for inter-
nationally agreed units for special purposes, e.g. mm of
mercury for blood pressure measurement (4).

(1) OJ C 63, 5.3.1999 p. 8, OJ C 89, 30.3.1999, p. 8.
(2) Directive 80/181/EEC, 20.12.1979, OJ L 39, 15.2.1980, p. 40.
(3) Directive 89/617/EEC, OJ L 357, 7.12.1989, p. 28.
(4) Other examples are imperial units when used on the territories of
the UK and Ireland for particular uses (e.g. pint of beer on
draught). A derogation is also given for the fields of air and sea
transport and rail traffic, where units other than those made
compulsory by the Directive may be used when they have been
laid down in international conventions binding the Member
States.

1.1.3.
Use of the SI has the advantage of rationalising
component and part manufacture and sourcing as well as
providing clear and comparative information for consumers.
The proposed amendment does not change the status of the SI
in the Community.

2. Commission proposal

Since Directive 80/181/EEC was

2.1.
amended,
decisions have been taken at international level that affect the
definitions of SI units or their use.

last

2.1.1.
The 19th CGPM in 1991 extended the list of prefixes
to be used for multiples and submultiples of SI units. The ISO
revised the standard ISO 31 in 1992 regarding the units of
plane angle and solid angle. In addition, the Codata bulletin
of the International Council of Scientific Unions has been
superseded by a publication in 1986, which gives new
experimental values for the electronvolt and the atomic mass
unit. In so far as the agreements and decisions of these bodies
affect the content of the Directive it must therefore be amended
to take account of the changes.

2.2.
Article 3(2) of Directive 80/181/EEC provided that
until 31 December 1989 supplementary units of measurement

C 169/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

16.6.1999

in units other than the legal units of measurements could
accompany the latter. This date was extended until 31 Decem-
ber 1999 by an amendment of
the Directive in 1989
(89/617/EEC) (1).

2.2.1.
After expiration of the transition period incompati-
bility will exist between the legislation in the Community and
the US affecting the use of units when indicating values of
quantities. On the one hand,
the Community legislation
will not permit supplementary indication in non-legal units
anymore, on the other hand US legislation prescribes the
simultaneous use of the units of the US customary inch-pound
system and the SI.

2.2.2.
It is the Commission’s firm view that the solution to
the problem of the use of units can only lie in the use of a
global system based on the SI that is also adopted by the US.
One has to keep in mind that the US is the only industrialised
nation in the world not using the SI.

2.2.3.
The Commission believes that as a short-term sol-
ution the US should amend its present legislation so as to
the placing on their market of products bearing
permit
indications in SI units only. In the meantime, the EU should as
an interim measure extend until 31 December 2009 the
transition period during which supplementary indications in
non-legal units are allowed.

3. Comments on the proposal for a Directive

It is quite appropriate for the definitions of SI units to
3.1.
be changed to ensure compliance with international agree-
ments.

(1) Directive 89/617/EEC, OJ 357, 7.12.1989, p. 28.

Brussels, 28 April 1999.

3.2.
There is no doubt that if the deadline of 31 December
1999 is met without any changes being made to US legislation,
some branches of industry will face substantial costs. These
include the packaging, labelling and inventory lines. According
to Commission estimates, the annual costs of compliance for
one large multinational cosmetics company would be US$ 80
million. The annual costs for smaller companies are estimated
by the coalition of industry representatives (representing the
affected cosmetics and toiletries, artists’ paints and foodstuffs
sectors) would be between US$ 5 000 and several million US$.

3.2.1.
Extension of the deadline will allow European manu-
facturers to continue to market products without the need to
fulfil differing requirements regarding units of measurement.

3.2.2.
The impact on Europe’s consumers of extending the
deadline should be limited, since they will not perceive any
significant difference in labelling information from the current
situation.

3.2.3.
proposed deadline extension.

For these reasons the Committee welcomes the

However,

3.2.4.
the Committee would urge the Com-
mission to use the extra time gained to step up its efforts to
achieve the removal of US provisions that require measure-
ments to be given in units other than SI units.

The Committee also endorses the Commission’s
3.2.5.
intention to view the application of Directive 80/181/EEC and
to further examine issues concerning the implementation of
the directive, in order to take appropriate measures towards
the use of a global system.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Beatrice RANGONI MACHIAVELLI