COUNCIL OF EUROPE

COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS

________

RESOLUTION AP (99) 3

The Representatives, on the Committee of Ministers, of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, member states of the Partial Agreement in the Social and Public Health Field,

Recalling Resolution AP (59) 23 of 16 November 1959, concerning the extension of the activities of the Council of Europe in the social and cultural fields;

Having regard to Resolution AP (96) 35 of 2 October 1996, whereby they revised the structures of the Partial Agreement and resolved to continue, on the basis of revised rules replacing those set out in Resolution AP (59) 23, the activities hitherto carried out and developed by virtue of that resolution; these being in particular aimed at:

a. raising the level of health protection of consumers in its widest sense, including a constant contribution to harmonising – in the field of products having a direct or indirect impact on the human food chain as well as in the field of pesticides, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics – legislation, regulations and practices governing, on the one hand, quality, efficiency and safety controls for products and, on the other hand, the safe use of toxic or noxious products;

b. integrating people with disabilities into the community; the definition – and contribution to implementation at European level – of a model coherent policy for people with disabilities, which takes account simultaneously of the principles of full citizenship and independent living; contributing to the elimination of barriers to integration, whatever their nature, whether psychological, educational, family related, cultural, social, professional, financial or architectural;

Having regard to the action carried out for several years for the purposes of harmonising their legislation in the public health field and, in particular, in the food sector;

Having regard to the fact that silicones are used in a wide variety of food contact applications;

Considering that silicones used in food contact applications may, by reason of the migration of their components to the foodstuffs, pose a risk to human health;

Observing that the lists of Appendix 2 hereafter represent an inventory of substances used for the manufacture of silicones used for food contact applications, but not a positive list;

Observing that the date specified in Appendix 2 hereafter represents the state of the art of substances used for the manufacture of silicones intended to come into contact with foodstuffs at that date;

Observing that the substances of List 1 of Appendix 2 hereafter have been evaluated by an international body and have been considered as toxicologically acceptable, taking into account their restrictions of use;

Observing that the substances of List 2 of Appendix 2 hereafter have not been fully evaluated, or evaluated at all, by an international body due to lack of data and that these substances should be subject to toxicological studies;

Observing that the restrictions of use in Appendix 2 are those set by the Commission of the European Communities in its directives relating to plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with foodstuffs;

Observing that the lists will be updated if new data on substances of Appendix 2 hereafter or on substances not included become available;

Taking the view that each member state, faced with the need to introduce regulations governing this matter, would find it beneficial to harmonise such regulations at European level,

Recommend to the governments of the member states of the Partial Agreement in the Social and Public Health field to take into account in their national laws and regulations on silicones used for food contact applications the principles and the inventory list set out in the appendices hereafter.