. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/Notif.98.394
18 August 1998
(98-3231)
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):  The draft decree provides
general environmental regulations with which specific textile cleaning establishments shall
comply, which also pertain to installations
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Draft Decree Containing
Rules for Textile Cleaning Companies (Decree on Textile Cleaning Companies Under
Environmental Management).
6. Description of content: The draft decree is based on article 8.40 of the Environmental
Management Act and contains general rules for textile cleaning establishments. Pursuant to
these rules, the licence duty under article 8.1 of the Environmental Management Act is
repealed for these establishments. The general rules regulate nuisance resulting from noise
and vibration, energy consumption, waste substan ces and waste water,  emissions into the
atmosphere, nuisance caused by lighting, safety, water consumption and soil analysis.
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable:
Objective and rationale:  The aim of the decree is to lay down rules so as to offer the highest
possible environmental protection against any adverse effects caused by establishments.
The decree results from the cabinet's viewpoint regarding legislation for establishments.
This viewpoint is supported by an analysis which shows that the environmental licence is
deemed too harsh an instrument for certain industrial activities with a more limited, often
local form of environmental pollution. The burden on both companies and the government
is in those cases disproportionate.
It has been established that general environmental rules on the basis of Article 8.40 of the
Environmental Management Act are an effective instrument and that many more
establishments could be brought under these rules than is now the case.  Moreover, thisdecree meets the target group's urgent request to provide for general rules.G/TBT/Notif.98.394
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8. Relevant documents:  Chapter 8, tittle 8.2, of the Environmental Management Act
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force: } 30 June 1998
10. Final date for comments:  6 October 1998
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [X] or address, e-mail and telefax number of
the other body:           