WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/N/NLD/13
22 March 2001
(01-1401)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  English
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   THE NETHERLANDS
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:   Commodity Board for Soft Drinks and Waters
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   National Enquiry
Point – EC WTO TBT Enquiry Point
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [    ], 5.7.1 [    ], other:           
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   Soft drinks and waters
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Third Amendment to
the Implementing Decree on a Fee for Handling Extra Items of Returned Packaging 1996.
6. Description of content:   The present amendment serves to raise the level of fee for
handling extra items of returned packaging with respect to plastic bottles on which a deposit
is paid, end the fee with respect to glass bottles on which a deposit is paid, and finallyregulate the transition to euros.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
The purpose of raising the fee for handling extr a items of returned packaging with respect to
plastic bottles and their crates is to make the system whereby supermarkets and drink
wholesalers collect extra empty crates more cost effective, since the fact of the matter is thatthe costs of handling emptying bottles and crates are higher than the fee that has existed
until now of NLG 1.0 per crate and NLG 0.5 per half crate.  At the same time, the fee for
glass bottles is abolished, since it has become clear that there are fewer imbalances withregard to consumer behaviour when it comes to returning empty glass bottles.  For the
reasons behind the system of granting a fee for handling extra items of returned packaging,
see the relevant points in Notification G/TBT/Notif. 96/129.
8. Relevant documents:   Industrial Organisation Act; Ordinance Establishing the Commodity
Board for Soft Drinks and Waters; Ordinance on a Fee for Handling Extra Items of
Returned Packaging 1996.
9. Proposed date of adoption:  26 June 2001
Proposed date of entry into force:  1 September 2001
10. Final date for comments:   7 June 2001
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ X] or address, telephone and fax
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:           