COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2789/1999
of 22 December 1999
laying down the marketing standard for table grapes
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 of 28 October 1996 on the common organisation of the market in fruit and vegetables(1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999(2), and in particular Article 2(2) thereof,
Whereas:
(1) table grapes are among the products listed in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 2200/96 for which standards must be adopted. Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1730/87 laying down quality standards for table grapes(3), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 888/97(4), has been amended frequently and can no longer ensure legal clarity;
(2) Regulation (EEC) No 1730/87 should be repealed and the rules it contains recast. To that end in the interest of preserving transparency on the world market, account should be taken of the standard for table grapes recommended by the Working Party on Standardisation of Perishable Produce and Quality Development of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE);
(3) applying this standard should result in products of unsatisfactory quality being removed from the market, bringing production into line with consumer requirements and facilitating trade relationships based on fair competition, thereby helping improve the profitability of production;
(4) the standard applies at all marketing stages. Long-distance transport, storage over a certain period and the various processes which the products undergo may cause certain alterations owing to the biological development of the products or their relatively perishable nature. Account should be taken of such deterioration when applying the standard at the marketing stages which follow dispatch. Since products in the "Extra" class must be sorted and packaged with particular care, only lack of freshness and turgidity is to be taken into account in their case;
(5) there is a developing demand for small packages containing table grapes of different origins or varieties. This type of presentation should therefore be authorised for table grapes, and the provisions governing marking should be adjusted accordingly;
(6) the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
The marketing standard for table grapes falling within CN code 0806 10 10 shall be as set out in the Annex.
The standard shall apply at all stages of marketing under the conditions laid down in Regulation (EC) No 2200/96.
However, at stages following dispatch, the products may show in relation to the requirements of the standard:
- a slight lack of freshness and turgidity,
- for products graded in classes other than the "Extra" class, slight deterioration due to their development and their tendency to perish.
Article 2
Regulation (EEC) No 1730/87 is hereby repealed.
Article 3
This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
It shall apply from the first day of the month following its entry into force.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 22 December 1999.