. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/N/NLD/23
20 July 2001
(01-3609)
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:   Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning en Environment
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:   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):   Wood preserved by
means of copper compounds
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Decree Regulating
Wood Preserved by Means of Copper Compounds
(Decree Regulating Wood Preserved by Means of Copper Compounds (under the Act on
Substances which are Harmful to the Environment)
6. Description of content:   The Decree contains rules with regard to the risk to the
environment of wood preserved by means of copper compounds.  It contains prohibitive
provisions with regard to the import, trade and application.  A ban on having this wood
available and on making it available to a third party is restricted to the Dutch market.
Consequently, having this wood available and making it available to a third party for exportpurposes remains permitted.  To establish whether wood preserved by means of copper
compounds has been exported from the Netherlands, the Dutch wood preserving businesses
must keep minimal records.
The Decree does not contain a clause of mutual recognition.  Such a provision cannot, in the
framework of this decision, play a role in the light of a general ban in the Netherlands.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
Research has shown that the use of wood that has been preserved by means of copper
compounds has unacceptable effects on the environment, as well as on public and animalhealth.  In particular, copper compounds fail to meet the standard for persistence.  There is
an unacceptable level of accumulation, since substantial amounts of the active ingredients -
given the area of application and the product - can end up in the soil, where it is not brokendown.G/TBT/N/NLD/23
Page 2
8. Relevant documents:
- Environmentally Hazardous Substances Act (Article 24);
- Decree by the Board for the Admission of Pesticides of 16 July 1999;
- Decree by the Board for the Admission of Pesticides of 13 August 1999
   (which contains the implemented risk assessment);
- Research report by the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment
(RIVM) of 14 March 2001, No 08261A00.
9. Proposed date of adoption:  March 2001
Proposed date of entry into force:  April 2001
10. Final date for comments:   21 September 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:           