Council Directive 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 (76/211/EEC)

Article 1U.K.

This Directive relates to prepackages containing products[F1 with the exception of those referred to in the Council Directive 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 , and] intended for sale in constant unit nominal quantities which are:

  • equal to values predetermined by the packer,

  • expressed in units of weight or volume,

  • not less than 5 g or 5 ml and not more than 10 kg or 10 l.

Textual Amendments

Article 2U.K.

1.A prepackage within the meaning of this Directive is the combination of a product and the individual package in which it is prepacked.

2.A product is prepacked when it is placed in a package of whatever nature without the purchaser being present and the quantity of product contained in the package has a predetermined value and cannot be altered without the package either being opened or undergoing a perceptible modification.

Article 3U.K.

1.The prepackages which may bear the EEC sign specified in section 3.3 of Annex I are those which comply with this Directive and with Annex I thereto.

2.They shall be subject to metrological control under the conditions defined in Annex I, section 5 and in Annex II.

Article 4U.K.

1.All prepackages referred to in Article 3 must, in accordance with Annex I, bear an indication of the weight or volume of the product, known as ‘nominal weight’ or ‘nominal volume’, which they are required to contain.

2.Prepackages containing liquid products shall be marked with their nominal volume and prepackages containing other products shall be marked with their nominal weight, except in the case of trade practice or national regulations which provide otherwise and which are identical in all Member States, or in the case of contrary Community rules.

3.If trade practice or national regulations are not the same in all Member States for a category of products or for a type of prepackage, those prepackages must at least show the metrological information corresponding to the trade practice or national regulations prevailing in the country of destination.

4.Until the expiry of the transitional period during which the use of the imperial units of measurement appearing in Annex II to Council Directive 71/354/EEC of 18 October 1971 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to units of measurement(1), as amended by the Act of Accession, is authorized in the Community, the indication of the nominal weight and/or nominal volume of the contents expressed in SI units of measurement in accordance with section 3.1 of Annex I to this Directive shall, if the United Kingdom or Ireland so desires, be accompanied on their national territories by an indication of the equivalent value in imperial units of measurement (UK), calculated on the basis of the following conversion factors:

1 g

=

0.0353 ounces (avoirdupois),

1 kg

=

2.205 pounds

1 ml

=

0.0352 fluid ounces,

1 l

=

1.760 pints or 0.220 gallons.

Article 5U.K.

Member States may not refuse, prohibit or restrict the placing on the market of prepackages which satisfy the requirements and tests laid down in this Directive for reasons concerning the markings required to be borne by such prepackages pursuant to this Directive, the determination of their volume or weight, or the methods by which they have been measured or checked.

[F2Article 6 U.K.

The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 6a amending Annexes I and II to adapt them to technical progress.]

Textual Amendments

[F3Article 6a U.K.

1. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this Article.

2. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Article 6 shall be conferred on the Commission for a period of five years from 26 July 2019 . The Commission shall draw up a report in respect of the delegation of power not later than nine months before the end of the five-year period. The delegation of power shall be tacitly extended for periods of an identical duration, unless the European Parliament or the Council opposes such extension not later than three months before the end of each period.

3. The delegation of power referred to in Article 6 may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following the publication of the decision in the Official Journal of the European Union or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity of any delegated acts already in force.

4. Before adopting a delegated act, the Commission shall consult experts designated by each Member State in accordance with the principles laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making (2) .

5. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall notify it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council.

6. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Article 6 shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or the Council within a period of three months of notification of that act to the European Parliament and the Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European Parliament and the Council have both informed the Commission that they will not object. That period shall be extended by two months at the initiative of the European Parliament or of the Council.]

Textual Amendments

Article 7U.K.

1.Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions needed in order to comply with this Directive within 18 months of its notification and shall forthwith inform the Commission thereof.

2.By way of derogation from paragraph 1, Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom may defer implementation of this Directive and the Annexes thereto until 31 December 1979 at the latest.

3.During the period in which the Directive is not operative in a Member State, that Member State shall not introduce stricter control measures regarding the quantity contained in prepackages covered by this Directive and coming from other Member States than those in force when the Directive was adopted.

4.During the same period, the Member States which have implemented the Directive shall accept those prepackages coming from Member States benefiting from the derogation provided for in paragraph 2 of this Article which comply with section 1 of Annex I, even if they do not bear the EEC sign referred to in section 3.3 of Annex I, on the same basis and under the same conditions as those prepackages which comply with all the requirements of the Directive.

5.The checks provided for by Annex I, section 5 shall be carried out by the competent authorities of the Member State of destination when prepackages manufactured outside the Community are imported into the territory of the Community in a Member State which has not yet implemented the Directive in accordance with this Article.

6.Member States shall ensure that the text of the main provisions of national law which they adopt in the field covered by this Directive is communicated to the Commission.

Article 8U.K.

This Directive is addressed to the Member States.