Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 1979 > Committee on the Secondary Legislation of the European Communities > Report No. 64 - Units of Measurement

REPORT

Proposal Examined

1. The Joint Committee has considered the proposal for a new Council Directive on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to units of measurement and repealing Council Directive 71/354/EEC as last amended by Council Directive 76/770/EEC [5247/79]. A detailed examination of this proposal was undertaken for the Joint Committee by its Sub-Committee on Social, Environmental and Miscellaneous Matters under the Chairmanship of Senator Mary Robinson. The Joint Committee is indebted to Senator Robinson and her Sub-Committee for their work. The Sub-Committee consulted the Confederation of Irish Industry and the Department of Industry, Commerce and Energy in regard to it.

2. The previous Joint Committee’s thirty-fourth report (Prl. 5590) dealt, inter alia, with a proposal to amend Council Directive 71/354/EEC and that proposal was adopted on 27th July, 1976 (Council Directive 76/770/EEC).

Contents of Proposal

3. The present position is that the S.I. metric system of units of measurement and certain units used with the system have been adopted by the Community since 21st April, 1978. However, there are also (a) Imperial units now allowed which must disappear by 31st December, 1979 and (b) Imperial units now allowed which must disappear by a date to be fixed before 31st December, 1979.

4. The proposed Directive consolidates all Community provisions relating to units of measurement and meets the requirement to review before 31st December, 1979 the continuing permitted legal use of the remaining Imperial units. In the Annex to the proposed Directive Chapter I sets out the legal units of measurement which have been definitely adopted. Chapter II sets out the units which may remain legal in Member States until 31st December, 1985; these relate mainly to medicine and radiology. Chapter III sets out certain common Imperial units of measurement which may be retained but which under the terms of the proposed Directive must disappear by a date to be set by the Council before 31st December, 1989. Among the latter are inch, foot, mile, square foot, acre, fluid ounce, gill, pint, quart, gallon, ounce, troy ounce, point (weight), and the fathom for marine navigation.

5. This proposed Directive is based on Article 100 of the EEC Treaty and seeks to remove barriers to intra-Community trade which still exist where the use of units of measurement is governed by legislation in Member States and at the same time to promote the exclusive use of the S.I. system throughout the Community.

Implications for Ireland

6. The adoption of the proposal will result in the introduction of dealines for withdrawing from use most, if not all, Imperial units not previously subject to deadlines under the terms of Council Directive 71/354/EEC as amended by Council Directive 76/770/ EEC. Provision will be made for double indication for a period after the date of cessation of authorisation. Adoption of the proposed Directive will necessitate the amendment of existing legislation incorporating units of measurement so as to change Imperial units to units of the S.I. system, thus providing an impetus to a Metrication Programme already well advanced.

Views of the Joint Committee

7. The introduction of the S.I. metric system was a commitment entered into under the Treaty of Accession and the present proposal is in line with that commitment.

8. The Commission accepts the view that it is unrealistic to expect that units of measurement in force for a long time can be abolished immediately without a transitional period and the draft Directive makes provision for double indication for fixed periods. The Joint Committee welcomes this approach as it avoids units with which the public has long been familiar being dropped too abruptly. It should smooth the way for the eventual full introduction of the S.I. system.

(Signed) ALEXIS FITZGERALD,

Chairman of the Joint Committee.

19th December, 1979.