PURPOSE: to update Council Directive 80/181/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to units of measurement.

LEGISLATIVE ACT: Directive 2009/3/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 80/181/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to units of measurement.

CONTENT: this Directive amends Directive 80/181/EEC, which lays down the legal units of measurement within the EU, and is based on the International System of Units (SI) adopted by the General Conference of Weights and Measures set up by the Metre Convention signed in Paris on 20 May 1875.

Directive 80/181/EEC required the United Kingdom and Ireland to fix a date for ending the exemptions, where they are still being applied, in respect of pint for milk in returnable bottles and beer and cider on draught, mile for road signs and speed indications, and troy ounce for transactions in precious metals. However, experience has shown that, given the local character of those exemptions and the limited number of products concerned, the maintenance of the exemptions would not lead to the imposition of a non-tariff barrier to trade, and as a consequence there is no longer a need to put an end to those exemptions

The new provisions are intended to:

enable the United Kingdom and Ireland to continue to use the limited local exemptions concerning the pint, the mile and the troy ounce where they are still applied; extend the scope of the Directive to consumer and environmental protection; extend the use of supplementary indications for an unlimited period (the basic Directive provided for their use until the end of 2009). The importance of the use of supplementary indications lies, for instance, in trade with economic partners which do not use the same units of measurement (e.g. the gallon in trade with the United States); introduce three new SI derived units: the katal (kat) as a unit for catalytic activity (used in medicine and biochemistry); the radian (rad) as a unit for a plane angle (used in geometry and physics); the steradian (sr) as a unit for a solid angle (used in geometry and physics); drop the acre as a land registration measurement unit (as it is no longer used in the United Kingdom and Ireland).

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 27/05/2008.

TRANSPOSITION: 31/12/2009.

APPLICATION: 01/01/2010.

The European Parliament adopted a legislative resolution approving the Council's common position for adopting a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 80/181/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to units of measurement. The recommendation for second reading (under the codecision procedure) had been tabled for consideration in plenary by Arlene McCARTHY (PES, UK) on behalf of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection.

The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection adopted the recommendation for 2 nd reading contained in the report drafted by Arlene McCARTHY (PES, UK) which approves, unamended, the Council common position for adopting a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 80/181/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to units of Measurement.

The Council supported the Commission’s proposal on condition of a number of technical changes reflecting developments in international standards relating to units of measurement and a clause on reporting, and review if needed, after 10 years.

There were no amendments made by the European Parliament and the Commission supports the common position.

It has made a declaration to CORPEPER on 12.12.2007 as regards the provision by Member States of correlation tables. It states that it recalls its position concerning the creation by Member States of correlation tables linking the transposition measures taken by the Member States with the directive, in the interest of citizens, Better Regulation and transparency and to assist the examination of the conformity of national rules with Community provisions.

In this instance, it does not stand in the way of an agreement at Council with a view to the successful conclusion of the inter-institutional procedure on this file. However, it expects this horizontal matter to be considered jointly by the institutions.

The common position of the Council has the same general objectives as the Commission proposal for an amending Directive. The Council, which agrees with the objectives of the proposal, has nevertheless endeavoured to improve some of the provisions and to add further provisions, notably in order to reflect in Community law some additional changes to the SI system.

Smooth functioning of the Internal Market and international acceptance of SI units : Council Directive 80/181/EEC has been reviewed every ten years as concerns local exemptions and the use of supplementary indications. The Council agrees with the intention behind the proposal, which is to increase legal certainty by removing the time limit for the exemptions from the general principle that SI units should be used to the largest extent possible. The Council however deems it important to closely follow the effects of the Directive on units of measurement on the smooth functioning of the Internal Market and on external trade. To this aim, it has inserted a new Article that provides for a Commission report on these effects 10 years after the entry into force of this amending directive. The Council also wished to draw the attention to need to further the acceptance in third country markets of products labelled only in SI units.

Developments within the SI system : the Council agrees with the objective of the Commission to introduce into Community law the new SI unit "katal". It however also wishes to reflect other developments within the SI system in Community law. Therefore the definition of the "kelvin" set out in the directive is updated Chapter I in the Annex is amended to reflect the 1995 CGPM decision to make the "radian" and "steradian" dimensionless.

The common position of the Council has the same general objectives as the Commission proposal for an amending Directive. The Council, which agrees with the objectives of the proposal, has nevertheless endeavoured to improve some of the provisions and to add further provisions, notably in order to reflect in Community law some additional changes to the SI system.

Smooth functioning of the Internal Market and international acceptance of SI units : Council Directive 80/181/EEC has been reviewed every ten years as concerns local exemptions and the use of supplementary indications. The Council agrees with the intention behind the proposal, which is to increase legal certainty by removing the time limit for the exemptions from the general principle that SI units should be used to the largest extent possible. The Council however deems it important to closely follow the effects of the Directive on units of measurement on the smooth functioning of the Internal Market and on external trade. To this aim, it has inserted a new Article that provides for a Commission report on these effects 10 years after the entry into force of this amending directive. The Council also wished to draw the attention to need to further the acceptance in third country markets of products labelled only in SI units.

Developments within the SI system : the Council agrees with the objective of the Commission to introduce into Community law the new SI unit "katal". It however also wishes to reflect other developments within the SI system in Community law. Therefore the definition of the "kelvin" set out in the directive is updated Chapter I in the Annex is amended to reflect the 1995 CGPM decision to make the "radian" and "steradian" dimensionless.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Arlene McCARTHY (PES, UK) and approved the proposal for a directive amending Council Directive 80/181/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to units of measurement.

The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection adopted, without amendment at 1 st reading of the codecision procedure, the report drafted by Arlene McCARTHY (PES, UK) on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 80/181/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to units of measurement.

PURPOSE: to update Council Directive 80/181/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to units of measurement.

PROPOSED ACT: Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council.

BACKGROUND: Directive 80/181/EEC harmonised within the EU the legal units of measurement for expressing quantities, in accordance with the metric “International System of Units” (SI) adopted by the General Conference of Weights and Measures set up by the Metre Convention signed in Paris on 20 May 1875. The SI metric system is recognised under WTO/TBT as the international standard. The Directive ensures a common approach, removing the barriers to trade within the Internal Market due to units of measurement in line with the international standard.

Directive 80/181/EEC requires the United Kingdom and Ireland to fix a date for ending the exemptions, where they are still being applied, in respect of pint for milk in returnable bottles and beer and cider on draught, mile for road signs and speed indications, and troy ounce for transactions in precious metals. However, experience has shown that, given the local character of those exemptions and the limited number of products concerned, the maintenance of the exemptions would not lead to the imposition of a non-tariff barrier to trade, and as a consequence there is no longer a need to put an end to those exemptions

The Directive authorises the use of supplementary indications in addition to the legal units laid down in Chapter I of the Annex to that Directive until 31 December 2009.

CONTENT: following a wide consultation of stakeholders and an impact assessment, the Commission proposes updating the Directive 80/181/EEC to include consumer protection and environment in its scope, to include as a legal unit the new SI unit for catalytic activity (katal) to allow the use of supplementary indications indefinitely and no longer to require the UK and Ireland to end the limited local exemptions for pint, mile and troy ounce where they are still in use.

The exemption of the acre for land registration however is no longer in use, because of changes in administrative procedures in both Member States.

Lastly, the Commission clarifies the scope of the directive as being applicable to all domains covered by the current Treaties. It is therefore no longer necessary to single out certain fields of applicability.

Stakeholders were consulted during the 10-week period up to 1 March 2007. The proposal follows the unanimous recommendation of industry to lift the sundown clause for the United Kingdom and Ireland and to permit indefinitely the use of supplementary indications.

PURPOSE: to update Council Directive 80/181/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to units of measurement.

PROPOSED ACT: Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council.

BACKGROUND: Directive 80/181/EEC harmonised within the EU the legal units of measurement for expressing quantities, in accordance with the metric “International System of Units” (SI) adopted by the General Conference of Weights and Measures set up by the Metre Convention signed in Paris on 20 May 1875. The SI metric system is recognised under WTO/TBT as the international standard. The Directive ensures a common approach, removing the barriers to trade within the Internal Market due to units of measurement in line with the international standard.

Directive 80/181/EEC requires the United Kingdom and Ireland to fix a date for ending the exemptions, where they are still being applied, in respect of pint for milk in returnable bottles and beer and cider on draught, mile for road signs and speed indications, and troy ounce for transactions in precious metals. However, experience has shown that, given the local character of those exemptions and the limited number of products concerned, the maintenance of the exemptions would not lead to the imposition of a non-tariff barrier to trade, and as a consequence there is no longer a need to put an end to those exemptions

The Directive authorises the use of supplementary indications in addition to the legal units laid down in Chapter I of the Annex to that Directive until 31 December 2009.

CONTENT: following a wide consultation of stakeholders and an impact assessment, the Commission proposes updating the Directive 80/181/EEC to include consumer protection and environment in its scope, to include as a legal unit the new SI unit for catalytic activity (katal) to allow the use of supplementary indications indefinitely and no longer to require the UK and Ireland to end the limited local exemptions for pint, mile and troy ounce where they are still in use.

The exemption of the acre for land registration however is no longer in use, because of changes in administrative procedures in both Member States.

Lastly, the Commission clarifies the scope of the directive as being applicable to all domains covered by the current Treaties. It is therefore no longer necessary to single out certain fields of applicability.

Stakeholders were consulted during the 10-week period up to 1 March 2007. The proposal follows the unanimous recommendation of industry to lift the sundown clause for the United Kingdom and Ireland and to permit indefinitely the use of supplementary indications.