Article 9U.K.Essential requirements
1.Member States shall ensure that three years from the date of the entry into force of this Directive, packaging may be placed on the market only if it complies with all essential requirements defined by this Directive including Annex II.
2.Member States shall, from the date set out in Article 22 (1), presume compliance with all essential requirements set out in this Directive including Annex II in the case of packaging which complies:
(a)with the relevant harmonized standards, the reference numbers of which have been published in the Official Journal of the European Communities. Member States shall publish the reference numbers of national standards transposing these harmonized standards;
(b)with the relevant national standards referred to in paragraph 3 in so far as, in the areas covered by such standards, no harmonized standards exist.
3.Member States shall communicate to the Commission the text of their national standards, as referred to in paragraph 2 (b), which they deem to comply with the requirements referred to in this Article. The Commission shall forward such texts forthwith to the other Member States.
Member States shall publish the references of these standards. The Commission shall ensure that they are published in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
4.Where a Member State or the Commission considers that the standards referred to in paragraph 2 do not entirely meet the essential requirements referred to in paragraph 1, the Commission or the Member State concerned shall bring the matter before the Committee set up by Directive 83/189/EEC giving the reasons therefor. This Committee shall deliver an opinion without delay.
In the light of the Committee's opinion, the Commission shall inform Member States whether or not it is necessary to withdraw those standards from the publications referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3.