. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/Notif.00/283
9 June 2000
(00-2311)
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 Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment
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):   Suspension
polyvinylchloride monomer(s-PVC)
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Regulation
Containing Limit Values for Certain Substances that Occur in Wastewater Released During
the Production of s-PVC (Regulation Concerning Limit Values for Wastewater in s-PVC
Production).
6. Description of content:   The draft regulation aims to prevent and limit the pollution of
surface water by emissions caused by the production of s-PVC from VCM.  The draft laysdown limit values for wastewater with respect to the emitting onto the surface water of this
wastewater released during the above-mentioned production process.
The draft also contains regulations for the analysis, measuring and sampling of the released
wastewater.  The draft regulation serves to implement the Commission Decree of Oslo and
Paris of 23 July 1998, OSPAR Decree 98/5, conc erning the limit values for emissions for
the production of suspension polyvinylchloride (s-PVC) from vinylchloridemonomer(VCM).  The above-mentioned Decree is a result of the Treaty on the protection of
the marine environment in the northeastern section of the Atlantic Ocean, Paris,
22 September 1992.  Notification of the Regulation to the EU is necessary since not allMember States of the EU are party to the above-mentioned international treaty.  The draft
only implements that part of the OSPAR Decr ee 98/5 that is concerned with discharges of
waste water.  The establishment of emission limits for emissions to the air will take place ina different context.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
Significant quantities of organohalogens can be emitted to the environment from the Vinyl
Chloride Industry, in which, among other things, the production of s-PVC from VCM takes
place.  This has a negative effect on the marine environment, which the Decree in questionserves to protect against.  When wastewater released during the production of s-PVC fromVCM is discharged onto surface water, the limit values laid down in the Decree may not be
exceeded.  If the draft contains quantitative import limits or similar measures within theG/TBT/Notif.00/283
Page 2
meaning of Article 30 of the EC Treaty, these measures are justified for the protection of the
surface water.
8. Relevant documents:
- Act on the pollution of surface waters, article 1a (Bulleting of Acts and Decrees 
1969, 536)
- OSPAR Decree 98/5 on limit values for emissions and discharges for the 
vinylchloride sector during the production of suspension-PVC (s-PVC) from 
vinylchloride monomer (VCM)
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force: }1 July 2000
10. Final date for comments:   7 June 2000
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ X] or address, e-mail and telefax
number of the other body:           