NETHERLANDS: WOOD BURNING STOVES The following notification has been received in Gatt Document TBT/Notification G95.59 dated 2 March 1995. 1. Member to agreement notifying: Netherlands. If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2): 2. Agency responsible: Ministry for Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment. 3. Notified under Article 2.9.2. 4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise National Tariff heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Wood-burning stoves whose nominal load is less than 18 KW. 5. Title and number of pages of the notified document: Draft council order concerning the type approval of wood-burning stoves in respect of air pollution by carbon monoxide (10 pages). 6. Description of content: On the basis of this measure, wood-burning stoves whose emission, as determined according to the German Din-Method, exceeds 2 G/M3 shall no longer be allowed for sale. 7. Objective and rationale: A policy regarding the emission of polycyclic aromatic carbons (PACS) into the environment has been launched in the Netherlands - within the Parcon-framework, this policy has been agreed at international level. Wood-burning stoves contribute to the emission of PACS, the extent of which is determined by the type of material burnt in the stove, the way in which the stove is used and the construction of the stove in use. Regarding the first two aspects, efforts are made to raise awareness amongst the consumers to ensure the environmentally-friendly use of the stove, especially by providing information. The present order has been drafted to address the third aspect which deals with the construction of wood-burning stoves. The order provides that, within the framework of a compulsory type approval of the wood-burning stove, certain (construction) requirements have been prescribed limiting the maximum level of carbon monoxide emission (CO). This was done because there is a correlation between the emission of CO and the emission of PACS, and PAC measurements generate far greater expense than those for CO. It is necessary to draft these regulations in order to bring about the reduction in emission levels. The construction of wood-burning stoves can only be improved by means of type approvals. Other methods, such as the provision of information or voluntary arrangements within the relevant sector have proved ineffective in this context. 8. Relevant documents: The Act on Air Pollution; the Environmental Protection Act. 9. Proposed date of adoption and entry into force: 31 October 1995. 10. Final date for comments: 20 April 1995. (081)

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