. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/EEC/217
13 October 2003
(03-5394)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
If applicable, name of local government involved:
2. Agency responsible:   Commission of the European Communities. Health & Consumer
Protection Directorate-General  Directorate E – Food Safety: Plant Health, Animal Health
and Welfare, International questions
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where
applicable):  Numerous active substances, chemical pr inciples and micro-organisms used as
Plant Protection Products (PPP).  ICS:  65.100 "Pesticides and other agrochemicals".
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:
Member States of the European Communities (EEC) and third countries exporting the
products concerned to the EEC.
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:   SANCO/10300/2003
Rev 5 Draft Commission Decision concerning the non-inclusion of certain active
substances in Annex I to Council Di rective 91/414/EEC and the withdrawal of
authorisations for plant protection products containing these substances.
6. Description of content:  Provides that the active substances mentioned in Annex I of the
draft Decision are not included in the positive Community list and the Member States have
to withdraw authorisations for plant protecti on products containing these active substances.
7. Objective and rationale:  [  X ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [ X ] plant protection,
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease,  [   ]  protect territory from other
damage from pests:
Council Directive 91/414/EEC of 15 July 1991 concerning the placing of plant protection
products on the market. (O. J. L230, 19/08/1991 pp.1-32)  as last amended by Commission
Directive 2003/82/EC (O. J. L228, 12/09/2003 P.11 –28) sets up a harmonised framework
for the authorisation and placing on the market of plant protection products in order to
protect human health and the environment.  Article 8(2) of this Directive provides aprogramme to be carried out over a period of 12 years for the gradual examination of the
active substances contained in the pesticides, which are on the market for the inclusion in
Annex I of the Directive.
Stages 1, 2 and 3 of the review programme are already ongoing.  For the 4
th stage the
Commission adopted Regulation (EC) No 11 12/2002 of 20 June 2002 laying down the
detailed rules for the implementation of the fourth stage of the programme of work referredto in Article 8(2) of Council Directiv e 91/414/EEC (O. J. L168, 27/6/2002 pp. 14-30)
providing that industry had to notify for which substances it intends to provide the required
information to demonstrate acceptable uses.G/SPS/N/EEC/217
Page 2
This draft decision provides for  the withdrawal from the market of all active substances of
stage 4 not further defended by industry.
In total about 100 substances will have to be withdrawn from the market by Member States
at the latest on 31 December 2003 with a phase-out period for sale and further use at the
latest on 31 December 2004 (one additional growing season).
The same applies for 15 substances from stages 2 and 3, for which the necessary dossier
has not been submitted, or for which the notif iers have withdrawn their further support.
For a reduced number of  these active substances, the Commission would allow a further
4 years of authorization and use for a limited number of Member States and for a restricted
number of crops.
8. International standard, gu ideline or recommendation:
[ X ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] Office International des Epizooties,
[   ] International Plant Prot ection Convention, [   ] None
If an international standard , guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:  CODEX has established MRL for several of the
concerned substances.  The MRL presently established in Community legislation will
continue to apply until reviewed, probably in mid 2005.  For a limited number of substances
the existing MRL will apply beyond 2007, until reviewed.
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  European
Commission Document: (SANCO/10300/2003 Rev 5) available in English, French and
Spanish.  The English version is the reference document.  When adopted, it will be
published in the Official Journal which is available at:
http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/oj/index.html .
10. Proposed date of adoption:   1 December 2003
11. Proposed date of entry into force:
Member States have to withdraw all existing authorizations for plant protection products
containing active substances listed in Annex I to the draft Decision by 31 December 2003.Any period of grace for existing stocks should be limited to 31 December 2004.
For a limited number of active substances for specified crops in specified Member States, the
authorizations have to be withdrawn by 30 June 2007, with a period of grace for existing
stocks expiring on 31 December 2007 at the latest.
12. Final date for comments:  Sixty (60) days after the date of notification.
Agency or authority designated to handle co mments:  [ X ] EC notification authority,
[   ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of
other body:
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notification authority, [ X ] EC enquiry point, or
address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body: