Council Press Release (12254/06), 25 September 2006
The following is an extract from the Competitiveness (Internal Market, Industry and Research) Council Meeting held on the 25 September 2006
Nominal quantities for pre-packed products
In public deliberation, the Council reached, by unanimity, a political agreement on a draft Directive laying down rules on nominal quantities for pre-packed products1. It will adopt its common position at one of its forthcoming meetings once the legal text has been finalised and will send it to the European Parliament for a second reading under the coDecision procedure.
This proposal is aimed at replacing existing legislation (Directives 75/106/EEC and 80/232/EEC) in order to abolish nominal quantities of package sizes for most sectors and to maintain obligatory nominal quantities for a very limited number of goods.
The Council's agreement is based on a compromise text, put forward by the Finnish Presidency, which introduced few changes in the amended proposal tabled by the Commission. The draft Directive, as amended by the Council, would allow for a phase-out of national nominal quantities for milk, butter, dried pasta and coffee for a period of maximum three and a half years and for sugar it would be of a maximum of four and a half years. The phasing-out period would be applied with effect from 18 months after the entry into force of the Directive. These derogations would not impose any obligation on other Member States to regulate nominal quantities.
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