. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/EEC/79
17 March 2000
(00-1108)
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:  European Commission, Directorate-General for Health and
Consumer Protection
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where
applicable).  Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or
practicable:  Cereals, products of plant and animal origin:  pesticide residues
4. Title and number of pages of the notified document:  Draft Commission Directive
amending the Annexes to Council Directives  86/362/EEC, 86/363/ EEC and 90/642/EEC on
the fixing of maximum levels for pesticide residues in and on cereals, foodstuffs of animal
origin and certain products of plant origin, including fruit and vegetables respectively.
Doc.SANCO/3383/99 rev.2 (55 pages of which 48 pages are annexes).
5. Description of content:  This draft Directive fixes maximum residue limits (MRLs) for
certain pesticides on certain agricultural products.  For these pesticides, MRLs were fixed in
Council Directives 94/29/EC, 94/30/EC, 95/ 38/EC, 95/39/EC, 96/32/EC, 96/33/EC and
Commission Directive 98/82/EC, except for so me agricultural products, for which not
enough data were available.  These positions were left open and the relevant Directives state
that all these "open" positions will be set at the limit of analytical determination (LOD) on
1 July 2000, unless limits are otherwise established through the appropriate legislative
procedure before that date.  The present draft Directive sets out MRLs for most of thepositions left open.  In addition, already existing limits have been revised where a new risk
assessment shows risks for consumers.  Where no or insufficient data are supplied MRLs
are proposed at the LOD.  Higher values are proposed when this is justified by residue trials
and toxicological data showing no unacceptable risk to the consumer.  Any new residue
trials and toxicology data to support different MRLs than the ones proposed, submitted byWTO Members, will be timely assessed and limits will be revised where appropriate.  The
pesticides concerned are:  benalaxyl, benfuracarb, carbofuran, carbosulfan, cyfluthrin,
ethephon, fenarimol, furathiocarb, lambda-cyhal othrin, metalaxyl, propiconazole, aldicarb,
amitraz, methidathion, methomyl, thiodicarb, pirimiphos-methyl, thiabendazole,
chlormequat, diazonon, dicofol, disulfoton, endosulfan, fenbutatin oxide, mecarbam,phorate, propoxur, propyzamide, triazophos, tr iforine, benomyl, carbendazim, thiophanate
methyl, chlorothalonil, fenvalerate, esfenvalerate and quinalphos.
6. 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           G/SPS/N/EEC/79
Page 2
7. An international standard, guideline or recommendation does not exist [     ].
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:  Codex MRLs exist for most of the pesticides
and at least for some commodities.  Proposed limits conform to Codex standards where
feasible.  Deviations from Codex limits exist where acute intake concerns have beenidentified or where the data supporting specific Codex MRLs are considered to be
inadequate.  Specific details and the scientific rationale supporting the proposed limits will
be supplied on request.
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Doc.
SANCO/3383/99 in all official languages of the European Communities
9. Proposed date of adoption:  26 May 2000
10. Proposed date of entry into force:  1 July 2001 to be applied by all member States of the
European Union for the proposed Directive, 1 July 2000 for the open positions for amitraz,
aldicarb and dicofol, as a consequence of entry into force of certain provisions in Council
Directives 95/39/EC and 96/33/EC.
11. Final date for comments:  15 April 2000
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [     ] National notification
authority, [  X ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:           
12. Texts available from: [     ] National notification authority, [  X ] National enquiry point
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:           