Considerations on COM(2001)138 - Authorisation of the offer and delivery for direct human consumption of certain imported wines which may have undergone oenological processes not provided for in Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999

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dossier COM(2001)138 - Authorisation of the offer and delivery for direct human consumption of certain imported wines which may have undergone ...
document COM(2001)138 EN
date May 22, 2001
 
(1) Article 45(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999, which replaced Regulation (EEC) No 822/87(2), with effect from 1 August 2000, lays down that the derogations referred to in paragraph 1 for imported products are to be adopted in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 133 of the Treaty.

(2) Article 68(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 lays down that the products referred to in Article 1(2)(a) and (b) of that Regulation may be imported only if they are accompanied by a certificate to the effect that they comply with the provisions governing production, marketing and, where appropriate, delivery for direct human consumption in the third countries in which they originate.

(3) Regulation (EEC) No 1873/84(3) provides for a derogation authorising the import into the Community of United States wines which have undergone certain oenological processes not provided for by Community rules. For certain oenological processes, this authorisation is only valid until 31 December 2003 at the latest.

(4) Article 81 of Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 repealed, with effect from 1 August 2000, a number of Council Regulations including Regulation (EEC) No 1873/84. However, Commission Regulation (EC) No 1608/2000 of 24 July 2000 laying down transitional measures pending the definitive measures implementing Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 on the common organisation of the market in wine(4) provides that certain provisions of Regulation (EEC) No 1873/84 are to remain in force until the adoption of this Regulation by the Council, but not later than 31 December 2003.

(5) Negotiations are currently underway between the Community, represented by the Commission, and the United States of America with a view to concluding an agreement on trade in wine. These involve in particular the respective oenological processes of both parties, as well as the protection of geographical indications. At its meeting on 23 October 2000, the Agriculture Council took note of the Commission's report on the negotiations provided for in the second subparagraph of Article 1(1) of Regulation (EEC) No 1873/84 and confirmed its wish to make headway in the negotiations and to set out the approach to be followed in them.

(6) With a view to ensuring the smooth progress of these negotiations, the provisions of Regulation (EEC) No 1873/84 should be extended and the United States oenological processes referred to in 1(b) of the Annex to Regulation (EEC) No 1873/84 should continue to be authorised on a transitional basis until the entry into force of the agreement resulting from the negotiations, but not later than 31 December 2003, as agreed by the Council in Regulation (EC) No 2839/98, amending Regulation (EEC) No 1873/84.

(7) In view of developments in the regulatory framework and in oenological processes, technical aspects of the Annex should be updated to make it consistent with the current rules in force in this area.