Explanatory Memorandum to SEC(2009)1704 - Accompanying document to theREPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEETHE OPERATION OF DIRECTIVE 98/34/EC FROM 2006 TO 2008

Please note

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EN

1.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION


2.

Brussels, 21.12.2009


3.

SEC(2009) 1704



COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT

Accompanying document to the

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE

THE OPERATION OF DIRECTIVE 98/34/EC FROM 2006 TO 2008

COM(2009)690


TABLE OF CONTENTS - ANNEXES

Annex 1 – procedures for standardisation 3

1. Information procedure 3

1.1. Role of ESOs 3

2. Mandates 3

2.1. The consultation process 3

2.2. Role of ESOs 3

3. Formal objections 3

Annex 2 Breakdown of new national standardisation activities from notifications (CEN and CENELEC) 2006-2008 by state 4

Annex 3 Breakdown of new national standardisation activities from notifications (CEN and CENELEC) 1999-2008 by group of countries 5

Annex 4 Sectoral breakdown of notifications 6

Annex 5 Mandates 2006-2008 – total 7

Annex 6 Mandates by subject area 8

Annex 7 Commission Decisions on formal objections 2006-2008 9

Annex 8 Brief description of the notification procedure 11

Annex 9 Developments in Court of Justice case-law on the matter 2006-2008 13

Annex 10 Application of the procedure 2006-2008: notifications of technical regulations submitted by the member states 14

10.1 Volume of notifications during the 2006-2008 period 15

10.2 Breakdown by country 16

10.3 Breakdown by sector 20

10.4 Commission reactions: comments and detailed opinions 2006-2008 (Articles 8(2) and 9(2) of the Directive) 23

10.5 Commission reactions: blockages 2006-2008 (Articles 9(3) and 9(4) of the Directive) 24

10.6 Member State reactions 25

10.7 Urgency Procedure (Article 9(7) of the Directive) 26

10.8 Follow-up to Commission reactions 29

Annex 11 Application of the procedure 2006-2008: participation of EFTA countries signatory to the EEA Agreement, of Switzerland and of Turkey 30

Annex 12 – Internet consultations 2006-2008 31


Annex 1 – procedures for standardisation
1.Information procedure

1.1.Role of ESOs

The NSBs, which are members of CEN and CENELEC (including bodies from the EFTA countries), send the necessary information to the CEN Management Centre and the Central Secretariat of CENELEC. The information gathered is sent monthly (except in the summer and over the end of year period) by CEN and quarterly by CENELEC to the Commission (DG Enterprise and Industry), all the members of CEN and CENELEC and to ETSI.

Within the Commission, DG Enterprise and Industry disseminates both the regular returns and the annual reports of CEN and CENELEC to relevant services.

ETSI takes part in the information procedure, although its role is limited to receiving and examining the information submitted by CEN and CENELEC members via the secretariats of these two bodies..
2.Mandates

2.1.The consultation process

The Commission requests the political and technical endorsement of its policy in a particular area from the Member States. This is achieved by means of a consultation, firstly informally with the standardisation bodies, stakeholders and Member States through sectoral committees or expert groups and then formally with the Member States through the Standing Committee. The consultation process is co-ordinated by DG Enterprise and Industry. The Committee gives its opinion on the draft mandate, an opinion that is fully respected by the Commission services and that is acted upon wherever reasonable and possible. Following this consultation – and any amendment arising from it – the mandates are forwarded to the relevant ESOs for acceptance.

2.2.Role of ESOs

The ESOs may accept the mandate as issued by the Commission services, or indeed not accept it if they so wish, a decision made at Technical Board level. In practice, as mandates are discussed with the ESOs prior to their being issued, refusal is very rare and mandates are usually only not accepted if the work is outside the scope of the ESO.

The mandates can be addressed to any one of the ESOs, or any combination of them, as the work envisaged requires.

It is common for the ESOs to request co-funding for the mandated work following acceptance – by means of action grants – although the issuance of the mandate itself does not mean funding will necessarily be available and the request for funding must undergo a thorough evaluation process by the Commission services.
3.Formal objections

The procedure begins with the formal objection either being received by the Commission through the Permanent Representation or being launched by the Commission itself. The documents are then circulated to the Committee, and normally a Member State expert group is consulted for opinion also. Once a draft Commission Decision is ready, this is consulted with the Committee. After receiving a positive opinion, the Decision is processed further.

Annex 2 Breakdown of new national standardisation activities from
notifications (CEN and CENELEC) 2006-2008 by state

Country200620072008Total
AT357219219795
BE65050106
BGna252550
CH27341475
CYna000
CZ235556134
DE5034504481401
DK89926
EE16101036
ES190131129450
FI10111132
FR238243242723
GR3205
HU11111133
IE3115
IS0000
IT107132133372
LU0000
LT19181855
LV14181850
MT1001
NL645656176
NO20191958
PL696565199
PT131115
RU32150150332
SE9141437
SI6282862
SK45191983
UK127153145425
CEN1905190418355644
CENELEC16205692
From EU-151638147214584568
From EU-122363994001035
From EFTA475333133
TOTAL1921192418915736

Annex 3 Breakdown of new national standardisation activities from
notifications (CEN and CENELEC) 1999-2008 by group of countries








Annex 4 Sectoral breakdown of notifications

200620072008
CEN
Building and construction - Structures 115115Building and construction – Structures135Food products192
Water quality and water supply73Surgical instruments126Building and constructin - Structures123
Building and construction - Undetermined70Food products78Building and constructin - Fire protection77
Building and construction - Fire protection57Air quality77Aerospace71
Food products55Waterproofing materials59Building and construction – Undetermined67
Small tools39Road Building and Maintenance54Road Building and Maintenance55
Furniture38Building and construction – Undetermined52Fasteners47
Road Building and Maintenance35Building and construction – Fire protection51Small tools46
Building and construction - Thermal matters34Petroleum products36Light alloys45
Chemicals and chemical engineering30Water quality and water supply35Water quality and water supply39


Annex 5 Mandates 2006-2008 – total

Type200620072008Total
After formal objection (New Approach)4206
Amendments (New Approach)4015
New Approach mandates57214
Mandates under other legislation75921
Mandates under Community policy46616
Total24201862


Annex 6 Mandates by subject area

Subject200620072008Total
Services1001
ICT0112
Energy2114
Transport3115
Environment2237
Consumer protection4048
Other06511
New Approach129324
Total24201862


Annex 7 Commission Decisions on formal objections 2006-2008

StandardDirectiveDecisionDateDecision numberO.J. Reference
1EN 143:2000 -“Respiratory protective device – Particle filters - Requirements, testing, marking”89/686/EEC Personal Protective EquipmentPresumption of conformity partially withdrawn16.03.20062006/216/ECL 080/76 17.03.2006
2EN 13000 - Cranes98/37/CE MachineryPresumption of conformity partialy withdrawn24.11.20052006/731/ECL 299/26 28.10.2006
3EN 13683 :2003 - Garden equipment - Integrally powered shredders/chippers98/37/CE MachineryNon publication of the reference on the OJ24.11.20052006/732/ECL 299/29 28.10.2006
4EN ISO 14122-4 - Safety of machinery - Permanent means of access to machinery - Part 4: Fixed ladders (ISO 14122-4:2004)98/37/CE MachineryNon publication of the reference on the OJ24.11.20052006/733/ECL 299/30 28.10.2006
5EN 848-3 - Safety of woodworking machines - One side moulding machines with rotating tool - Part 3 : numerical control boring machines and routing machines98/37/CE MachineryPresumption of conformity partially withdrawn02.03.20062006/704/ECL 343/102 08.12.2006
6EN 10080:2005 – Steel for the reinforcement of concrete89/106 Construction ProductsPresumption of conformity withdrawn15.09.20062006/893/ECL 291/35 21.10.2007
7EN 71-1:2005 - Hemispheric toys - 5.12 first indent (former A 10)88/378/EEC ToysPresumption of conformity partially withdrawn25.09.20062007/184/ECL 85/7 27.03.2007
8EN 71-1:2005 - Suction cups - 8.4.2.3 (former A 11)88/378/EEC ToysPresumption of conformity partially withdrawn25.09.20062007/224/ECL 96/18 11.04.2007
9EN 12929-2:2004 - Safety requirements for cableway installations designed to carry persons — General requirements — Part 2: Additional requirements for reversible bicable aerial ropeways without carrier truck brakes200/9/EC cableway installations designed to carry personsPresumption of conformity non withdrawn26.11.2008Decision in the communication C(2008)7289No published
10EN 3-8:2006 - Portable fire extinguishers - Part 8: Additional requirements to EN 3-7 for the construction; resistance to pressure and mechanical tests for extinguishers with a maximum allowable pressure equal to or lower than 30 bar97/23/EC Pressure EquipmentPublication of the reference on the OJ13.11.20082009/111/ECL 48/13 19.02.2009
11EN 3-9:2006 - Portable fire extinguishers — Part 9: Additional requirements to EN 3-7 for pressure resistance of CO2 extinguishers97/23/EC Pressure EquipmentNon publication of the reference on the OJ13.11.20092009/140/ECL 40/33 11.02.2010

Annex 8 Brief description of the notification procedure

This annex gives a general overview of the notification procedure for products and indicates the specific procedural characteristics that apply to Information Society services. For a more detailed description of the procedure, please refer to the information brochure Guide to the procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations and of rules on Information Society services, available on the following website: www.europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/tris">ec.europa.eu/enterprise/tris.


Legal bases

Introduced in 1984 by Directive 83/189/EEC1, the notification procedure in the field of technical regulations has gradually been extended to all industrial, agricultural and fishery products. In 1998, Directive 83/189/EEC was repealed and codified by Directive 98/34/EC2, which in turn was amended by Directive 98/48/EC3 in order to extend the notification procedure to Information Society services, with the adaptations needed to take account of the demands of the sector.


Obligation to notify and the standstill period

Article 8(1) of Directive 98/34/EC (hereinafter 'the Directive') stipulates that the Member States shall inform the Commission of any draft technical regulation prior to its adoption. The simple transposition of a Community act does not require prior notification, unless the national authorities adopt national provisions that go beyond mere compliance with Community acts and that contain technical regulations within the meaning of the Directive (Article 10 of the Directive).


Starting from the date of notification of the draft, a three-month standstill period – during which the notifying Member State cannot adopt the technical regulation in question – enables the Commission and the other Member States to examine the notified text and to respond appropriately. The only derogation to this rule is linked to the nature of the measure in question: for technical specifications linked to fiscal or financial measures, there is no standstill period. This also applies to technical regulations that have to be adopted urgently (see below).


Possible reactions and consequences


Where it emerges that the notified drafts are liable to create barriers to the free movement of goods or to the free provision of Information Society services (Articles 28-30, 43 and 49 of the EC Treaty) or to secondary legislation, the Commission and the other Member States may submit a detailed opinion to the Member State that has prepared the draft (Article 9(2) of the Directive). The detailed opinion has the effect of extending the standstill period by an additional three months. The Commission and the Member States can also make comments about a notified draft that appears to comply with Community law but that requires clarification in its interpretation (Article 8(2)). The Commission can also block a draft for a period of 12 months if Community harmonisation work is due to be undertaken or is already underway in the same field (Article 9(3) to (5)).


In the event of a detailed opinion being issued, the Member State concerned informs the Commission of the action that it intends to take in response to the detailed opinion, and the Commission comments on that reaction (Article 9(2)). With regard to the comments, even though the Directive does not lay down any legal obligation for the Member State receiving the comments to indicate what follow-up action it intends to take, the Member States are inclined to respond, thus making the procedure a genuine instrument of dialogue.


Urgency procedure


Article 9(7) of the Directive describes an emergency procedure, which is designed to allow the immediate adoption of a national draft, subject to a closed list of certain conditions that must be clearly indicated at the time of notification (‘serious and unforeseeable circumstances relating to the protection of public health or safety, the protection of animals or the preservation of plants'). The aim of the emergency procedure is to enable a notifying Member State faced with serious or unforeseeable circumstances immediately to adopt the draft technical regulation, without having to wait for the three-month standstill. The Commission decides on the justification for the emergency procedure as soon as possible. If the request to apply the emergency procedure is accepted by the Commission, the time limit for the 98/34 procedure does not apply, and the notified text can be adopted. Nevertheless, any examination of the substance of the text can subsequently be carried out, as part of infringement proceedings for breach of Community law.


Communication of final texts


At the end of the 98/34 procedure, the Member States are bound to inform the Commission of final texts as soon as those texts have been adopted and to indicate cases in which the notified draft has been abandoned, in order to allow the 98/34 procedure to be closed (Article 8(3) of the Directive).


Technical standards and regulations’ committee


The Standing Committee laid down in Article 5 of the Directive consists of representatives appointed by the Member States and is chaired by a representative of the Commission. In its ‘Technical standards and regulations’ configuration, the Committee meets regularly and constitutes a forum for discussing all issues connected with the application of the directive.


Application of the 98/34 procedure to Information Society services


The 98/34 procedure also applies to Information Society services, with the following adaptations: a) in the event of a detailed opinion being issued, the total standstill period is four months from the date of the communication, instead of the six months stipulated for products; b) the Commission can only block the draft for a maximum of 12 months if the subject of the draft is already covered by an EU Council proposal and if the notified text contains provisions that do not comply with the proposal drafted by the Commission; c) the emergency procedure can be invoked not only under the circumstances stipulated for products ('serious and unforeseeable circumstances') but also 'for urgent reasons ...relating to public safety'.


The simplified procedure


EFTA countries that are contracting parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (‘EEA’), namely Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, apply the 98/34 procedure with the necessary adaptations4: they notify their drafts via the EFTA Surveillance Authority and can comment on the drafts notified by the 27 Member States. The same kind of reaction is provided for the entire European Community to drafts notified by the three countries signatory to the EEA Agreement.


Switzerland (which is part of EFTA, but which does apply the EEA Agreement) also participates in the system. This country applies the 98/34 procedure on a voluntary basis following an informal agreement to exchange information in the field of technical regulations: it submits its drafts to the Commission and can make and receive comments on the notified drafts.


Turkey, which transposed the Directive in 2002, participates in the procedure in the same manner as the EFTA countries. The decision to have Turkey participate in the notification system was taken in 1997 as part of the implementation of the final phase of the Customs Union between Turkey and the European Community.

Annex 9 Developments in Court of Justice case-law on the matter 2006-2008

The two Court of Justice judgments delivered on the Directive during the 2006-2008 period are presented below in chronological order: the first of them was delivered following proceedings for failure to fulfil an obligation launched by the Commission against a Member State (Article 226 of the EC Treaty) and the other under the preliminary ruling procedure (Article 234 of the EC Treaty). The common feature of these judgments: they clarify the notion of technical regulation and the obligation to notify, and confirm the Court’s previous case-law regarding the unenforceability of technical regulations not notified prior to their adoption.


It should be pointed out that, like the other Court judgments on the notification procedure, these judgments can be consulted on the following website: curia.europa.eu/jcms/jcms/Jo1_6308/).


Judgment of 26 October 2006, Case C-65/05, Commission versus Hellenic Republic

4.

(JO C 326 of 30 December 2006, page 8)



In the field of games of chance, the judgment Commission v Hellenic Republic stated that national measures prohibiting the use of all electric, electromechanical and electronic games, including all computer games, on all public or private premises apart from casinos, and the use of games on computers in undertakings providing internet services, and making the operation of such undertakings subject to the issue of a special authorisation, must be considered technical regulations in the meaning of Directive 98/34/EC.



In addition, the judgment has a bearing on the issue of urgency provided for by the Directive. In fact, the Court adds (logically) that the obligation to notify cannot be called into question by the need to adopt national legislation urgently in order to deal rapidly and directly with a social problem.


Judgment of 8 November 2007, Case C-20/05, Schwibbert

5.

(JO C 315 of 22 December 2007, page 4)




In its most recent judgment, Schwibbert, the Court provides another example of a technical regulation notifiable under the Directive. In this instance, it concerned the obligation to affix the distinctive sign ' SIAE ' to compact discs of works of figurative art for the purposes of marketing them in Italy.


The Court clarifies that this obligation constitutes a technical regulation which, if not notified to the Commission, cannot be invoked against an individual (Judgment CIA Security).



Annex 10 Application of the procedure 2006-2008: notifications of technical regulations submitted by the member states

Annexes 10.1, 10.2 and 10.3 give a statistical overview of the development of the number of draft technical regulations notified by the Member States between 2006 and 2008, and of their breakdown by Member State and by sector. It should be pointed out that, in accordance with Article 11 of the Directive, ‘statistics concerning communications received’ as part of the notification procedure are published once a year in the Official Journal, C series5.


The reactions to the notified drafts – in the form of comments or detailed opinions from the Commission or the Member States, or of blockages on the part of the Commission – are illustrated in Annexes 10.4 to 10.6.


Annex 10.7 refers to the requests to apply the urgency procedure that the Member States addressed to the Commission pursuant to Article 9(7) of the Directive.


Annex 10.8 shows the action taken by the Member States in response to the Commission’s reactions.

10.1 Volume of notifications during the 2006-2008 period

Figure 1


The statistics in figure 1 show that the Member States notified to the Commission 668 draft regulations in 2006, 710 in 2007 and 601 in 2008.

10.2 Breakdown by country

Figure 2


During the 2006-2008 period, two Member States each notified more than 200 draft technical regulations: they were Germany (212) and the Netherlands (205). A group of five other countries (Sweden, France, United Kingdom, Austria and Belgium) come next with a total number of notifications of between 100 and 160. As far as the two “new” Member States are concerned, Bulgaria and Romania submitted 33 notifications (10 and 23 respectively) between 2007 and 2008.

Table 1 – Number of notifications of technical regulations submitted by the Member States from 2006 to 2008
Member States200620072008
Austria424836
Belgium284832
Bulgaria -46
Cyprus100
Czech Rep.212435
Denmark243822
Estonia8115
Finland183931
France575845
Germany778352
Greece547
Hungary151212
Ireland61416
Italy202018
Latvia10810
Lithuania268
Luxembourg222
Malta700
Netherlands716371
Poland485021
Portugal732
Romania -518
Slovakia91215
Slovenia1183
Spain703541
Sweden506454
United Kingdom595139
Total EC668710601

Table 2 – Percentages of notifications submitted by the Member States from 2006 to 2008
Member States200620072008
Austria8,3%9,9%6,5%
Belgium5,5%9,9%5,7%
Bulgaria0,0%0,8%1,1%
Cyprus0,2%0,0%0,0%
Czech Rep.

4,1%4,9%6,3%
Denmark4,7%7,8%3,9%
Estonia1,6%2,3%0,9%
Finland3,5%8,0%5,6%
France11,2%11,9%8,1%
Germany15,2%17,1%9,3%
Greece1,0%0,8%1,3%
Hungary3,0%2,5%2,2%
Ireland1,2%2,9%2,9%
Italy3,9%4,1%3,2%
Latvia2,0%1,6%1,8%
Lithuania0,4%1,2%1,4%
Luxembourg0,4%0,4%0,4%
Malta1,4%0,0%0,0%
Netherlands14,0%13,0%12,7%
Poland9,4%10,3%3,8%
Portugal1,4%0,6%0,4%
Romania0,0%1,0%3,2%
Slovakia1,8%2,5%2,7%
Slovenia2,2%1,6%0,5%
Spain13,8%7,2%7,4%
Sweden9,8%13,2%9,7%
United Kingdom11,6%10,5%7,0%

10.3 Breakdown by sector

Figure 3


Building and construction are constantly increasing and represent the sector with the highest number of notifications during the period in question (365 notifications). They are followed by the foodstuffs and agricultural products sector (298 notifications). Between 2006 and 2008, two other sectors grew significantly: telecommunications (221 notifications) and transport (215 notifications). Information Society services represent on average 5,3% of the total number of notifications.

Tables 3 and 4 – Breakdown by sector of the drafts notified by the Member States of the European Union in 2006 and 2007
Sectors2006Sectors2007
Building and construction10415,6%Building and construction14520,4%
Foodstuffs and agricultural products9614,4%Foodstuffs and agricultural products11115,6%
Chemicals152,2%Chemicals304,2%
Pharmaceuticals182,7%Pharmaceuticals233,2%
Domestic and leisure equipment182,8%Domestic and leisure equipment314,4%
Mechanical engineering8512,7%Mechanical engineering557,7%
Energy, ores, wood456,7%Energy, ores, wood263,7%
Environment, packaging517,6%Environment, packaging649,0%
Health, medical equipment111,6%Health, medical equipment71,0%
Transport7511,2%Transport7110,0%
Telecommunications8612,9%Télecommunications8111,4%
Miscellaneous products304,5%Miscellaneous products294,1%
Information Society services344,9%Information Society services375,2%

Tables 5 and 6 – Breakdown by sector of the drafts notified by the Member States of the European Union in 2008
Sectors2008
Building and construction11619,3%
Foodstuffs and agricultural products9115,1%
Chemicals122,0%
Pharmaceuticals366,0%
Domestic and leisure equipment315,2%
Mechanical engineering427,0%
Energy, ores, wood294,8%
Environment, packaging549,0%
Health, medical equipment50,8%
Transport6911,5%
Télecommunications549,0%
Miscellaneous products274,5%
Information Society services355,8%

10.4 Commission reactions: comments and detailed opinions 2006-2008 (Articles 8(2) and 9(2) of the Directive)

Table 7
YearCommentsDetailed opinions
200615461
200713666
200812852


The number of detailed opinions issued by the Commission during the period in question did not vary significantly: 61 detailed opinions in 2006 on the total number of 668 notifications (10.9%); in 2007, 66 detailed opinions on the total number of 710 notifications (9.29%). On the 601 notifications of 2008 the Commission issued 52 detailed opinions, corresponding to 8.65% of the total number.


On the other hand, the number of comments made by the Commission decreased at a constant rate from 154 in 2006 to 128 in 2008.


Figure 4


10.5 Commission reactions: blockages 2006-2008 (Articles 9(3) and 9(4) of the Directive)

During the 2006-2008 period, the Commission requested a 12-month postponement of the adoption of 22 draft regulations notified by the Member States, because they concerned a subject on which Community harmonisation work had already been announced or was underway.


Table 8
YearStandstillsTotal
Announcement of a Community text (Article 9(3))Presentation to the Council of a Community text (Article 9(4))
2006123
20077411
2008538

10.6 Member State reactions


Table 9 Comments and detailed opinions issued by the Member States 2006-2008 (Articles 8(2) and 9(2))

200620072008
Com.D.O.Com.D.O.Com.D.O.
Austria138134135
Belgium321006
Bulgaria0000
Cyprus000000
Czech Rep.1208050
Denmark020102
Estonia110001
Finland205028
France1421281612
Germany308426272
Greece001021
Hungary1124060
Ireland001111
Italy21622562
Latvia407030
Lithuania000000
Luxembourg010100
Malta010332
Netherlands829332
Poland1026041
Portugal210110
Romania1021
Slovakia320020
Slovenia605070
Spain186192183
Sweden401040
United Kingdom126104102
Total174521673913551

10.7 Urgency Procedure (Article 9(7) of the Directive)


Table 10 Requests to apply the urgency procedure received 2006-2008

YEAR200620072008
COUNTRY

Requests

Favourable opinion

Requests

Favourable opinion

Requests

Favourable opinion

Austria000000
Belgium324100

Bulgaria

000000
Cyprus000000
Czech Rep.000000
Denmark000000
Estonia100000
Finland002000
France803330
Germany001100
Greece100000
Hungary001010
Ireland000010
Italy101011
Latvia101010
Lithuania000000
Luxembourg000000
Malta000000
Netherlands111021
Poland000000
Portugal003000
Romania001010
Slovakia000000
Slovenia000000
Spain100010
Sweden

111122
United Kingdom000000
Total174196134


Table 10 provides an overview of the number of requests to apply the emergency procedure, by Member State and by year; it also shows the number of requests to which the Commission gave a favourable opinion (14 out of the 49 made during the entire 2006-2008 period).


Table 11 – Breakdown by sector of the requests to apply the urgency procedure 2006-2008.


Table 11, which gives a sectoral breakdown of the requests to apply the urgency procedure received by the Commission during the 2006-2008 period, shows that the application of this exceptional procedure was invoked mainly in the foodstuffs and agricultural products sector (11 requests) and in the health and medical equipment sector (7).

10.8 Follow-up to Commission reactions


Table 12 shows that, in 2006, the recipient Member States responded to 53 of the 61 detailed opinions issued by the Commission (86.8%) and that 41 responses were deemed satisfactory by the Commission (67,2%). In 2007, they responded to 54 of the 66 detailed opinions (81,8%); 45 were satisfactory (68,1%). In 2008, 52 detailed opinions were issued by the Commission. Of the 43 responses from the Member States (82.6%), 30 were deemed satisfatory by the Commission (57,6%).



Table 12*
Year
Detailed opinions

Responses from the Member StatesSatisfactoryClosures
20066153418
20076654458
20085243305

*Data at 04/06/2009


Table 13


Year

Observations COM


Responses from the Member States

2006


154

114

2007


136

80

2008


128

67


Table 13 shows that, in 2006, the recipient Member States responded to 114 of the 154 observations issued by the Commission (74 %). In 2007, they responded to 80 of the 136 (58,8 %) and, in 2008, Member States responded to 67 of the 128 observations made by the Commission (52,3 %).

Annex 11 Application of the procedure 2006-2008: participation of EFTA countries signatory to the EEA Agreement, of Switzerland and of Turkey

Table 13 – Number of notifications from EFTA countries and comments issued to them by the European Community
200620072008
NotificationsCom. ECNotificationsCom. ECNotificationsCom. EC
EFTANorway219215168
Liechtenstein101000
Iceland106290


Table 14 – Number of notifications submitted by Switzerland and Turkey and comments issued to them by the Commission or the Member States
200620072008
NotificationsCom.NotificationsCom.NotificationsCom.
Switzerland13512330
Turkey19152152


Table 15 – Number of comments from EFTA, Switzerland and Turkey regarding the notifications from the Member States
200620072008
EFTA101
Switzerland081
Turkey010

Annex 12 – Internet consultations 2006-2008

Figure 5


1Directive of 28 March 1983, OJ L 109/8 of 26.4.1983

2O L 204/37 of 21.7.1998.

3O L 217/18 of 5.8.1998.

4Annex II, Chapter XIX, point 1 to the EEA Agreement, which includes Article 8(2) of the Directive

5For 2006: OJ C 151/10 of 5.7.2007; for 2007: OJ C 132/7 of 30.5.2008; for 2008: OJ C 131/3 of 10.06.2009.

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