9 Non-metric units of measurement
| (28918)
12959/07
+ ADDs 1-2
COM(07) 510
| Draft Directive amending Council Directive 80/1/81/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to units of measurement
|
| Legal base | Article 95EC; co-decision; QMV
|
| Document originated | 10 September 2007
|
| Deposited in Parliament | 19 September 2007
|
| Department | Innovation, Universities and Skills
|
| Basis of consideration | EM of 4 October 2007
|
| Previous Committee Report | None
|
| To be discussed in Council | No date set
|
| Committee's assessment | Politically important
|
| Committee's decision | Cleared
|
Background
9.1 In order to ensure harmonisation and consistency across the
Community, Council Directive 80/181/EC sets out which units of
measurement are legal, and in particular, it provides that, for
most purposes, the legal units are metric. However, the Directive
also authorised the use of "supplementary indications"
(for example, the use of non-metric units alongside metric units,
subject to certain conditions regarding their size and prominence)
until the end of 1989, and that date has since been extended twice
— until
the end of 1999, and then to 31 December 2009.
The current proposal
9.2 In this document, the Commission is now proposing
that the deadline for the use of such indications should be removed
altogether, meaning that dual labelling in metric and imperial
units would be authorised without time limit. More specifically,
this would enable the continued use of the mile for road traffic
signs, distance and speed measurement, the pint for the dispensing
of draught beer and cider and milk in returnable containers, and
the troy ounce for transactions in precious metals. However, the
use of the acre for land registration would no longer be permitted,
as this unit is no longer used for that purpose in either the
UK or Ireland.
The Government's view
9.3 In his Explanatory Memorandum of 4 October 2007,
the Minister of State for Science and Innovation at the Department
for Innovation, Universities and Skills (Mr Ian Pearson) says
that the UK strongly supports the proposal. He points out that
the main case for it rests on the additional labelling costs which
would arise if dual metric and imperial labelling was no longer
permitted, and in particular the adverse effect on trade between
the Community and the United States (the only major non-metric
market in the world), which accounts for about 40% of all world
trade. He adds that the proposed use of the mile, pint and troy
ounce are essentially limited and local, and do not have an impact
on the internal market, and that the proposal will ensure that
the future use of these units is a matter for the UK alone.
9.4 The Minister also says that, although consumer
views were divided, UK business overwhelmingly supports the continuation
of these supplementary indications, and that, since the proposal
will maintain the status quo, it is not expected to impose any
new costs on business, consumers or enforcement authorities.
Conclusion
9.5 We share the Government's support for this
proposal, which now puts the decision on the retention of non-metric
units where, in our view, its rightly belongs —
with the Member State concerned —
and thus ends the uncertainty which has arisen in this area for
far too long. We are therefore happy to clear it.
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