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Document 52007AE1694

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee 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 COM(2007) 510 final — 2007/0187 (COD)

IO C 120, 16.5.2008, p. 14–14 (BG, ES, CS, DA, DE, ET, EL, EN, FR, IT, LV, LT, HU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SL, FI, SV)

Date of document:
12/12/2007
Date lodged:
26/09/2007
Date of dispatch:
21/12/2008; Chuig an gCoimisiún
Date of dispatch:
21/12/2008; Chur ar aghaidh chuig an gComhairle
Date of debate:
12/12/2007
Date of end of validity:
11/03/2009; Nasctha le 52007PC0510
Author:
Coiste Eacnamaíoch agus Sóisialta na hEorpa
Rapporteur:
CASSIDY
Form:
Tuairim
Addressee:
Comhairle an Aontais Eorpaigh, An Coimisiún Eorpach
Internal reference:
INT/378, AVIS-SECTION CESE 1411/07 FIN
Session:
440
Additional information:
COD 2007/0187
Treaty:
An Conradh ag bunú an Chomhphobail Eorpaigh
Legal basis:
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16.5.2008   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 120/14

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee 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’

COM(2007) 510 final — 2007/0187 (COD)

(2008/C 120/02)

On 26 September 2007 the Council decided to consult the European Economic and Social Committee, under Article 95 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, 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.

The Section for the Single Market, Production and Consumption, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 21 November 2007. The rapporteur was Mr Cassidy.

At its 440th plenary session, held on 12 and 13 December 2007 (meeting of 12 December), the European Economic and Social Committee adopted the following opinion by 114 votes, with two abstentions.

1.   Conclusions and recommendations

1.1

The EESC approves the present proposal without reservation.

1.2

The Directive mentions end 2009 as the deadline for using ‘supplementary indications’ i.e. non-metric indications. Maintaining this deadline would be a cost for all EU enterprises involved in trans-Atlantic trade.

1.3

The Directive also requires the UK and Ireland to fix a deadline concerning the exemptions to use the pint, mile and troy ounces.

1.4

The Commission's proposal is to get rid of these deadlines not replacing them with new ones.

1.5

The Directive defines as the legal units of measurement in the EU the metric units or SI units meaning Système International, which is the worldwide system adopted by the Conférence générale des poids et mesures (CGPM) in 1960. Though the European Union itself is not a signatory, all Member States are. The regular updating of SI units for technical progress leads to the Commission proposing to adopt as the ‘katal’ symbol as the SI unit for catalytic activity.

1.6

The EESC welcomes this Commission proposal as part of the drive to simplify and improve legislation and welcomes the Commission's sensitivity in acknowledging the importance of ‘subsidiarity’ for Ireland and the UK.

Brussels, 12 December 2007.

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Dimitris DIMITRIADIS

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