EN    EN EN  
EN 1   EN Draft 
COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No …/.. 
of  
amending Regulation (EC) No 1019/2002 on  marketing standards for olive oil 
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, 
Having regard to the Treaty esta blishing the European Community, 
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 of 22 Oct ober 2007 establishing a 
common organisation of agricultural market s and on specific provisions for certain 
agricultural products (S ingle CMO Regulation)1, and in particular Articles 113(1)(a) and 
121(a) in conjunction with  Article 4 thereof, 
Whereas: (1) It is desirable to clarify that the name unde r which olive oils and olive-pomace oils are 
sold should be one of the descriptions  laid down by the common organisation of 
agricultural markets. Supplementary information on each of the categories of oil defined should also appear on the labelli ng, but not necessarily close to the name 
under which the product is sold. For goods contai ning olive oil, neither the labelling of 
the description, nor, therefore, of the s upplementary information should be required. 
(2) Commission Regulation (EC) No 1019/2002 
2 established optional arrangements for 
the designation of the origin of olive oil although the aim was a system involving the 
compulsory designation of origin for extra virgin and virgin olive oil, in order to 
reflect the fact that, as a result of agri cultural traditions and local extraction and 
blending practices such oils may be of quite different taste and quality depending on their geographical origin. Op tional arrangements implemented since then proved not 
to be sufficient to avoid consumer misleading as to the real characteristics of virgin 
oils to this regard. In addition, sin ce 2002, Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002 laying down the general 
principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety 
Authority and laying down procedur es in matters of food safety
3 established 
traceability rules, applicable since 1 Janua ry 2005. The experience gained by operators 
                                                 
1 OJ L 299, 16.11.2007, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 470/2008 (OJ L 140, 
30.5.2008, p. 1). 
2 OJ L 155, 14.6.2002, p. 27. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 632/2008 (OJ L173, 
3.7.2008 p.16). 
3 OJ L 31, 1.2.2002, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 202/2008 (OJ 
L 60, 5.3.2008, p. 17).  
EN 2   EN and administrations in this matter allows making the designation of origin compulsory 
for extra virgin and virgin olive oil. 
(3) In the Community, a significant share of extra virgin and virgin olive oils is composed 
of blends of oils originating from various Member States and third countries. Simple 
provisions should be laid down for the design ation of origin of such blends. Such 
simple rules make it possible deleting th e former provisions on labelling of a 
"predominant origin", complex to implemen t, difficult to control and potentially 
misleading. 
(4) Certain terms describing the orga noleptic characteristics referring to taste and/or smell 
of extra virgin and virgin olive oils have been recently defined by the International Olive Council (IOC) in  its revised method for the orga noleptic assessment of virgin 
olive oils. The use of such terms on the labell ing of extra virgin a nd virgin olive oils 
should be reserved to oils that have been  assessed following the corresponding method 
of analysis. Transitional arrangements are n eeded for certain operators presently using 
the reserved terms.  
(5) Several Member States have maintain ed national regulations prohibiting the 
production of blends of olive oil with ot her seed oils for internal consumption 
purposes so as to preserve their traditions and a certain production quality at national 
level. The provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1019/2002 do not apply to tuna and 
sardines, covered respectively by Council Regulation (EEC) No 1536/92 of 9 June 
1992 laying down common marketing standa rds for preserved tuna and bonito
4 and by 
Council Regulation (EEC) No 2136/89 of 21 June 1989 laying down common 
marketing standards fo r preserved sardines5. For reasons of clarity, these aspects 
should be clearly mentioned in Regulation (EC) No 1019/2002. 
(6) Regulation (EC) No 1019/2002 should therefore be amended accordingly. 
(7) The measures provided for in this Regulati on are in accordance with the opinion of the 
Management Committee for the Common Organisation of Agricultural Markets, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 
Article 1 
Regulation (EC) No 1019/2002 is amended as follows: 
(1) Article 1(1) is replaced by the following: 
“1. Without prejudice to Di rective 2000/13/EC, this Regul ation lays down specific 
standards for retail-stage marketing of the olive oils and olive-pomace oils referred to in points 1(a) and (b), 3 and 6 of Annex XVI to Regulation (EC) No 
1234/2007.”; 
                                                
 
4 OJ L 163, 17.6.1992, p. 1.  
5 OJ L 212, 22.7.1989, p. 79. Regulation as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1181/2003 
(OJ L 165, 3.7.2003, p. 17).  
EN 3   EN (2) Article 3 is amended as follows: 
(a) the following paragraph is inse rted before the first paragraph: 
Descriptions in accordance with Artic le 118 of Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 
shall be considered as the name under wh ich the product is sold referred to in 
Article 3(1)(1) of Directive 2000/13/EC."; 
(b) in the first paragraph, which become s the second paragraph, the introductory 
words are replaced by the following: 
"The labelling of oils as referred to in Article 1(1) shall bear, in clear and 
indelible lettering, in addition to the description referred to in the first 
paragraph, but not necessarily close to  it, the following information on the 
category of oil:"; 
(3) Article 4 is amended as follows: 
(a) in paragraph 1, the first subparagraph is replaced by the following first and 
second subparagraphs: 
"Extra virgin olive oil and virgin olive oil as defined in points 1(a) and (b) of 
Annex XVI to Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007 shall bear a designation of origin on the labelling. 
Products defined in points 3 and 6 of  Annex XVI to Regulation (EC) No 
1234/2007 shall not bear any designati on of origin on the labelling." 
(b) paragraph 2 is replaced by the following: 
"2. Designations of origin referred to in paragraph 1 shall only consist of: 
(a) in the case of olive oils originating, in accordance with the 
provisions of paragraphs 4 and 5, from one Member State or third 
country, a reference to the Member State, to the Community or to 
the third country, as appropriate, or, 
(b) in the case of blends of olive oils originating, in accordance with 
the provisions of paragraphs 4 and 5, from more than one Member State or third country, one of  the following mentions, as 
appropriate: 
(i) "blend of Community olive oils" or a reference to the 
Community , 
(ii) "blend of non-Community oliv e oils" or a reference to non-
Community origin, 
(iii) "blend of Community and non-Community olive oils" or a 
reference to Community a nd non-Community origin, or  
EN 4   EN (c) a protected designation of or igin or a protected geographical 
indication referred to in Counc il Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 *, 
without prejudice to the applica tion of the speci fication of the 
concerned denomination. 
* OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12"; 
(c) Paragraph 6 is deleted. 
(4) Article 5 is amended as follows: 
(a) Point (c) is replaced by the following: 
"(c) indications of organol eptic properties referring to  taste and/or smell may 
appear only for extra virgin and virgin  olive oils; the terms referred to in 
paragraph 3.3 of Annex XII to Re gulation (EEC) No 2568/91 may appear 
on the labelling only if they are based on the results of an assessment carried out following the method provided for in Annex XII to Regulation (EC) No 2568/91." 
(b) The following second paragraph is added: 
" Products sold under trademarks whose registration was applied for no later 
than 1 March 2008 and which contain at l east one of the terms referred to in 
paragraph 3.3 of Annex XII to Regulat ion (EEC) No 2568/91 may not comply 
with the requirements of Article 5(c)  of Regulation (EC) No 1019/2002 until 1 
October 2010." 
(5) Article 6 is amended as follows: 
(a) In paragraph 1, the following third subparagraph is added: 
"Member States may prohibit the production in  their territory of  blends of olive 
oil and other vegetable oils referred to  in the first subparagraph for internal 
consumption. However, they may not pr ohibit the marketing on their territory 
of such blends coming from other c ountries and they may not prohibit the 
production on their territory of such ble nds for marketing in another Member 
State or for exportation." 
(b) In paragraph 2, the first subpara graph is replaced by the following: 
"With the exception of tuna in olive oil referred to in Council Regulation 
(EEC) No 1536/92** and sardines in oliv e oil referred to in Council Regulation 
(EEC) No 2136/89 ***, where the presence of oils as referred to in Article 1(1) 
of this Regulation in a foodstuff, other than those referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article, is highlighted on the labelling elsewhere than in the list of ingredients, using words, images or graphics, the trade description of the 
foodstuff shall be directly followed by the percentage of oils as referred to in 
Article 1(1) of this Regulat ion relative to the total ne t weight of the foodstuff. 
** OJ L 163, 17.6.1992, p. 1.  
EN 5   EN *** OJ L 212, 22.7.1989, p. 79." 
(c) Paragraph 3 is replaced by the following: 
"3. The descriptions referred to in th e first paragraph of Article 3 can be 
replaced by the words "olive oil" on the labelling of products referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article 
 However, where olive-pomace oil is present, the words "olive oil" shall 
be replaced by the words "olive-pomace oil". 
(d) The following paragraph 4 is added: 
"4. The information referred to in the second paragraph of Article 3 is not 
required on the labelling of products re ferred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 of 
this Article." 
(6) Point (b) of Article 8(2) is replaced by the following: 
“(b) an operators' organisation in that Me mber State referred to in Article 125 of 
Regulation (EC) No 1234/2007;” 
(7) The first subparagraph of Article 9(2) is replaced by the following: 
"For the purpose of verifying indications as referred to in Articles 4, 5 and 6, the 
Member States concerned may introduce arrangements for approving establishments 
whose packaging facilities are s ituated in their territory." 
Article 2 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the se venth day following that of its publication in 
the Official Journal of  the European Union . 
It shall apply from 1 July 2009. However, products which have been legally manu factured and labelled in the Community or 
legally imported into the Commun ity and put into free circulati on before 1 July 2009 may be 
marketed until all stocks are used up. 
This Regulation shall be binding in  its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. 
Done at Brussels,  
 For the Commission 
   Member of the Commission