G/TBT/N/ITA/30

28 June 2017

(17-3448) Page: 1/2

Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original: English

NOTIFICATION

The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6

1. Notifying Member: ITALY

If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):

2. Agency responsible: Ministero dello sviluppo economico

Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website

addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments

regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:

Ministry for economic development

General Directorate for Market, Competition, Consumer, Vigilance and Technical

Standardization

Division XIII - Technical standardization

00187 Rome I – Via Sallustiana, 53

tel. ++39 06 4705.5340

ucn98.34.italia@mise.gov.it

European Commission TBT Enquiry Point ec-tbt@ec.europa.eu

3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [ ], 5.6.2 [ ], 5.7.1 [ ], other:

4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.

ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Rice

5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Draft legislative

decree laying down provisions concerning the internal rice market, implementing Article 31

of Law No 154 of 28 July 2016. (13 page(s), in Italian)

6. Description of content: The measure comprises 13 articles and 5 annexes.

The scope of application and the definitions used are set out in Article 1. The next five

articles establish the classification and naming of foods; provisions guaranteeing the

quality of rice placed on the market or permitted for consumption; establishing names

reserved for certain traditional varieties of products and the Variety Register, listing and

describing traditional varieties; for rice permitted to use collective marks, the measure

allows for inclusion on packaging of the indications envisaged in the related use

regulations.

Articles 7 to 10 govern controls and identify penalties, the authority responsible for their

imposition and the procedures for payment of administrative penalties.

Article 11 contains the mutual recognition clause.

Articles 12 and 13 lay down temporary provisions for the packaging of rice applicable for a

period of twelve months from the date of entry into force of the measure, allow for the

amendment of its annexes by decree of the relevant ministries, and provide for the repeal

of Law No 325 of 18 March 1958 twelve months after the date of entry into force of the

new decree.

G/TBT/N/ITA/30

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The annexes contain definitions, descriptions and specifications relating to:

 Annex 1 - Definitions of product groups and qualitative characteristics.

 Annex 2 - Characteristics of the varieties allowed to use the food naming referred to in Article 4(1).

 Annex 3 - Register kept by the National Agency for Rice [Ente Nazionale Risi].

 Annex 4 - Qualitative characteristics for rice and parboiled rice (maximum values).

 Annex 5 - Methods of analysis.

7.

Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable: The notified draft legislative decree is intended to implement legal instruments for the rice production chain based on specific objective and transparent criteria to be able to 'classify' Italy's wide range of varieties from a sales perspective.

Adoption of the measure responds to the need to adjust the retail naming of rice to the provisions of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products, Annex II, part 1 of which distinguishes rice into round grain, medium grain and long grain rice.

The proposed legislation therefore updates the national indications 'common', 'semi-fine', 'fine' and 'super-fine' given in the existing legislation, set out in Law No 325 of 18 March 1958 governing the sale of rice, since they are not defined in any international norms or standards.

The draft decree also contains provisions regarding the labelling of rice in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, with a view to simplifying the pertinent regulations to the benefit of both packaging companies and consumers; as well as laying down a single penalty system applicable at national level.

8.

Relevant documents: References to basic texts:

 Law No 154 of 28 July 2016 - Article 31

 Law No 325 of 18 March 1958 governing the sale of rice

9.

Proposed date of adoption: August 2017

Proposed date of entry into force: August 2017

10.

Final date for comments: 28 July 2017

11.

Texts available from: National enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body:

Text on line at: http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/tris/en/search and/or at: http://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/tbt/en/search https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2017/TBT/ITA/17_2872_00_x.pdf