BELGIUM: LAW ON PRODUCT STANDARDS TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC HEALTH The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6. G/TBT/Notif.96.263. 1. Member to Agreement notifying: Belgium. If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2): 2. Agency responsible: Cabinet Jan Peeters, Av. Galilei 5, 1210 Brussels. Agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification can be indicated if different from above: 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): 5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Law on Product Standards to Protect the Environment and Public Health and to Promote Sustainable Methods of Production and Consumption. 6. Description of content: The objective of the Law is to create an overall and coordinated legal framework for the introduction of product standards so that their manufacture, use (see Article 3.1(a) of Directive 91/156/EEC) and disposal make no contribution or make the smallest possible contribution to increasing the amount or harmfulness of waste or creating any other form of pollution. The King is empowered to take the implementing measures inter alia to prohibit marketing, to introduce prior authorization or notification, to have withdrawn from sale, to regulate the properties of the product, to encourage reuse, to establish compulsory analyses or tests, to impose an information requirement, ...(Article 4.1). The draft provides the legal bases for any sectoral agreements concluded (voluntarily) with industry, prescribing inter alia that the agreements become binding upon signature by all the parties (Article 5). The draft contains special chapters on biocides and packaging (Articles 8 to 14). The draft's final provisions include monitoring provisions as well as the customary penal provisions and also allow for the possibility of establishing by royal decree fees to finance the responsibilities given to administrative authorities under this Law. 7. Objective and rationale: There is no horizontal legal framework in Belgium to permit the application of standards and products for the purposes mentioned above. The provisions also allow speedier implementation of the harmonization directives on the environment adopted in the EC. 8. Relevant documents: N/A. 9. Proposed date of adoption: Proposed date of entry into force: 60 days. 10. Final date for comments: N/A. 11. Texts available from: National enquiry point (X) or address and telefax number of other body: CIBELNOR. (249)

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