(1)

Council Directives 75/106/EEC of 19 December 1974 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making-up by volume of certain prepackaged liquids (3) and 80/232/EEC of 15 January 1980 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the ranges of nominal quantities and nominal capacities permitted for certain prepackaged products (4) set out nominal quantities for a number of liquid and non-liquid prepacked products, the purpose of this being to ensure the free movement of products complying with the requirements of those Directives. For most products, national nominal quantities are allowed to exist alongside Community nominal quantities. For some products, however, Community nominal quantities are fixed to the exclusion of any national nominal quantities.

(2)

Changes in consumer preferences and innovations in prepacking and retailing at Community and national levels have made it necessary to assess whether existing legislation is still appropriate.

(3)

The Court of Justice held in its judgment of 12 October 2000 in Case C-3/99 Cidrerie Ruwet (5) that Member States are precluded from prohibiting the marketing of a prepackage having a nominal volume not included in the Community range, which is lawfully manufactured and marketed in another Member State, unless such a prohibition is designed to meet an overriding requirement relating to consumer protection, applies without distinction to national and imported products alike, is necessary in order to meet the requirement in question and is proportionate to the objective pursued, and that objective cannot be achieved by measures which are less restrictive of intra-Community trade.

(4)

Consumer protection is facilitated by legislation adopted after Directives 75/106/EEC and 80/232/EEC, notably Directive 98/6/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 1998 on consumer protection in the indication of the prices of products offered to consumers (6). Member States which have not already done so should consider whether to implement Directive 98/6/EC in relation to certain small retail businesses.

(5)

An impact assessment, including a wide consultation of all interested stakeholders, has indicated that, in many sectors, free nominal quantities increase the freedom of producers to provide goods according to consumer tastes and enhance competition as regards quality and price on the internal market. In other sectors, however, it is more appropriate, in the interests of consumers and business, to retain mandatory nominal quantities for the time being.

(6)

Implementation of this Directive should be accompanied by more information for consumers and industry to enhance understanding of unit pricing.

(7)

Consequently, nominal quantities should generally not be subject to regulation at Community or national level and it should be possible to place prepacked goods on the market in any nominal quantity.

(8)

However, in certain sectors such deregulation could result in disproportionately high extra costs, especially for small and medium sized enterprises. For those sectors, therefore, existing Community legislation should be adapted in the light of experience, in particular to ensure that Community nominal quantities are fixed at least in the case of those products most sold to consumers.

(9)

Since the maintenance of mandatory nominal quantities should be regarded as a derogation, except in the wine and spirits sector, which has specific features, it should be periodically reassessed in the light of experience and in order to meet the needs of consumers and producers. For sectors in which mandatory nominal quantities might be maintained, when the Commission ascertains a disturbance of market conditions or a destabilisation of consumer behaviour, particularly that of the most vulnerable consumers, it should consider whether Member States should be authorised to maintain transitional periods and in particular to maintain the most-sold mandatory range sizes.

(10)

In Member States where prepacked bread forms a high proportion of regular consumption, there is a strong correlation between pack size and bread weight. As with other prepacked products, existing package sizes for prepacked bread traditionally in use will not be affected by this Directive and can continue to be used.

(11)

In order to promote transparency, all nominal quantities for prepacked products should be set out in a single legislative act, and consequently Directives 75/106/EEC and 80/232/EEC should be repealed.

(12)

In order to increase consumer protection, in particular for vulnerable consumers such as the disabled and the elderly, proper attention should be paid to ensuring that weight and volume indications on consumer product labelling are more easily legible and visible on the prepackage under normal conditions of presentation.

(13)

For certain liquid products, Directive 75/106/EEC sets out metrological requirements identical to those set out in Council Directive 76/211/EEC of 20 January 1976 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making-up by weight or by volume of certain prepackaged products (7). Directive 76/211/EEC should therefore be amended to include in its scope the products currently covered by Directive 75/106/EEC.

(14)

In accordance with point 34 of the Interinstitutional Agreement on better law-making (8), Member States are encouraged to draw up, for themselves and in the interests of the Community, their own tables illustrating, as far as possible, the correlation between this Directive and the transposition measures, and to make them public.

(15)

Since the objectives of this Directive cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore, by reason of the repeal of Community ranges and the establishment of uniform Community nominal quantities where needed, be better achieved at Community level, the Community may adopt measures, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Directive does not go beyond what is necessary in order to achieve those objectives,