WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/Notif.00/174
10 April 2000
(00-1437)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade
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:   Ministry of Economic Affairs
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):   Platinum, gold and silver
works
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Regulation of the
State Secretary for Economic Affairs of  …...2000, no …., Amending the Regulation on
Hallmarks in Connection with the Appointment of a second guarantee institution.
6. Description of content:   The amendment establishes new marks that indicate fineness and
the assay office, with regard to a second guarantee institution. Since the Law on Hallmarks
already contains a clause of mutual recognition in article 5a, a similar clause has not beenincluded in this draft.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
During this year it is expected that a second guarantee institution will be designated. In
order to find out, in the case of guaranteed works, which institution carried out the
monitoring and hallmarking of the precious metals work, it is important that individual
hallmarks should be established for the guar antee institution still to be appointed. The
fineness marks differ only in details from the marks used at present by the guarantee
institution that was appointed first. In so far as the draft regulation contains quantitative
import restrictions or similar measures within the meaning of Article 28 of the EC Treaty,these measures are justified in order to protect the integrity of business dealings and to
protect consumers. An amendment to hallmarks has been notified earlier under number
97/0760/NL.
8. Relevant documents:
- Law on Hallmarks 1986 (see notificat ions 95/0383/NL and 97/0417/NL)
- Regulation on Hallmarks (see notific ations 97/0411/NL and 97/0760/NL)
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force: }Summer 2000
10. Final date for comments:   1 July 2000
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ X] or address, e-mail and telefax
number of the other body:           