COMMISSION REGUL ATION (EU) 2015/463 
of 19 March 2015 
amending Annex to Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 laying down specif ications for food additiv es 
listed in Annex es II and III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of 
the Council as regards specif ications for polyvin yl alcohol (E 1203) 
(Text with EEA relevance) 
THE EUR OPEAN COMMISSION, 
Having regar d to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, 
Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) of 16 December 
2008 on food additives, and in particular Article 14 thereof, 
Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1331/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) of 16 December 
2008 establishing a common author isation procedure for food additives, food enzymes and food flavouri ngs, and in 
particular Article 7(5) thereof, 
Whereas: 
(1)  Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 (3) lays down specific ations for food additives liste d in Annex es II and 
III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008. 
(2)  Those specif ications may be updat ed in accordance with the common procedure referred to in Article 3(1) of 
Regulation (EC) No 1331/2008, either on the initiative of the Commission or following an application. 
(3)  On 7 Sept ember 2011, an application was submitted for the amendment of specifi cations concer ning the food 
additive polyvinyl alcohol (E 1203). The application was made available to the Member State s pursuant to 
Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1331/2008. 
(4)  The current specific ation as regards the solubility of the food additive polyviny l alcohol (E 1203) state s ‘Soluble 
in water; spar ingly soluble in ethanol’. The Institute for Health and Consumer Protection (IHCP) of the European 
Commission's Joint Research Centre carried out solubility studies (4) of polyvinyl alcohol to update the solubility 
data of the existing Union specif ications vis-à-vis its solubility in ethanol. 
(5)  The European Food Safety Author ity (‘the Author ity’) evaluated the results of the solubility test with polyviny l 
alcohol carried out by the IHCP and the information provided by the applicant (5). The Author ity considers that 
the modifi cation of the specifi cation on the solubility of polyviny l alcohol in ethanol has no impact on the safety 
of polyviny l alcohol as a food additive. 
(6)  Taking into account the submitted application, the studies carried out by the IHCP and the evaluation made by 
the Author ity, it is appropr iate to amend the descr iption of the solubility of the food additive polyviny l alcohol 
(E 1203) in ethanol (≥ 99,8 %) to ‘practically insoluble or insoluble ’. 
(7)  Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 should theref ore be amended according ly. 
(8)  The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Standing Committ ee on 
Plants, Animals, Food and Feed, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGUL ATION: 
Article 1 
The Annex to Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Regulation. 20.3.2015 L 76/42 Official Jour nal of the European Union EN     
(1)OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 16. 
(2)OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 1. 
(3)Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012 of 9 March 2012 laying down specificatio ns for food additives listed in Annexes II and III to 
Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 83, 22.3.2012, p. 1). 
(4)João F. A. Lopes and Cather ine Simoneau, 2014. Solubility of Polyvinyl Alcohol in Ethanol. EFSA suppor ting publication 2014:EN-660, 
20 pp. 
(5)EFSA Journal 2014;12(9):3820. Article 2 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the 
European Union. 
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member State s. 
Done at Brussels, 19 Marc h 2015. 
For the Commission 
The Presid ent 
Jean-Claude JUNCKER   
ANNEX 
In the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 231/2012, the entr y for E 1203 polyviny l alcohol, the specif ication for the 
solubility is replaced by the following: 
‘Solubility Soluble in water; Practically insoluble or insoluble in ethanol (≥ 99,8 %)’   20.3.2015 L 76/43 Official Jour nal of the European Union EN