The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the Council position at first reading with a view to the adoption of a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on textile fibre names and related labelling and marking of fibre composition of textile products and repealing Council Directive 73/44/EEC, Directive 96/73/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Directive 2008/121/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council.
It adopted its position at second reading under the ordinary legislative procedure. The amendments adopted in plenary are the result of a compromise negotiated between the European Parliament and the Council.
The main amendments made to the Council position at first reading are as follows:
Subject matter: the amended text stipulates that the Regulation lays down rules concerning the use of textile fibre names and related labelling and marking of fibre composition of textile products, rules concerning the labelling or marking of textile products containing non-textile parts of animal origin.
Scope: this Regulation shall not apply to customised textile products made up by self-employed tailors.
Multi-fibre textile products: a textile product shall be labelled or marked with the name and percentage by weight of all constituent fibres in descending order. By way of derogation, a fibre which accounts for up to 5% of the total weight of the textile product, or fibres which collectively account for up to 15% of the total weight of the textile product, may, where they cannot easily be stated at the time of the manufacture, be designated by the term 'other fibres', immediately preceded or followed by their total percentage by weight.
Fibres not yet listed in Annex I may be designated by the term 'other fibres', immediately preceded or followed by their total percentage by weight.
Textile products containing non-textile parts of animal origin: the presence of non-textile parts of animal origin in textile products shall be indicated by using the phrase "Contains non-textile parts of animal origin" on the labelling or marking of such products whenever they are made available on the market. The labelling or marking shall not be misleading and shall be carried out in such a way that the consumer can easily understand.
Labels and markings: abbreviations shall not be used with the exception of a mechanised processing code, or where they are defined in international standards, provided that the abbreviations are explained in the same commercial document.
Textile fibre names and fibre composition descriptions: when making a textile product available on the market, the textile fibre composition descriptions shall be indicated in catalogues and trade literature, on packaging, labels and markings in a manner that is easily legible, visible, clear and in print which is uniform as regards its size, style and font.
Determination of fibre composition: the laboratories responsible for the testing of textile mixtures for which there is no uniform method of analysis at Union level shall determine the fibre composition of such mixtures, indicating in the analysis report the result obtained, the method used and its degree of accuracy.
Information to be included in the technical file:a new recital stipulates that it is necessary that a manufacturer, or any person acting on his behalf, who wishes to add a new textile fibre name to the Annexes to this Regulation, include in the technical file to be submitted with his application available scientific information concerning possible allergic reactions or other adverse effects of the new textile fibre on human health, including results of tests conducted to that effect in compliance with relevant Union legislation.
Delegated acts: the power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commission subject to the conditions laid down in this text. The delegation of power shall be conferred on the Commission for a period of five years from the entry into force of the Regulation. It may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the Council. A decision of revocation shall put an end to the delegation of the power specified in that decision. A delegated act shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by the European Parliament or the Council within a period of two 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.
Review: by 30 September 2013, the Commission shall submit a report to the European Parliament and the Council regarding possible new labelling requirements to be introduced at Union level with a view to providing consumers with accurate, relevant, intelligible and comparable information on the characteristics of textile products.
The report shall be based on a consultation of relevant stakeholders and shall take into account existing related European and international standards.
The report shall be accompanied, where appropriate, by legislative proposals, and shall examine, inter alia, the following issues:
Study on hazardous substances: by 30 September 2013, the Commission shall carry out a study to evaluate whether there is a causal link between allergic reactions and chemical substances or mixtures used in textile products. On the basis of that study, the Commission shall, where appropriate, submit legislative proposals in the context of existing Union legislation.
Reporting: five years after the date of entry into force of the Regulation, the Commission shall submit a report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the application of this Regulation, with an emphasis on the requests for and adoption of new textile fibre names and submit, where appropriate, a legislative proposal.