NoL357/16 29.12.76 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities
COUNCILREGULATION (EEC)No3168/76
of21December 1976
layingdowntheconditionsforcoupageandwine-making inthefreezoneson
Communityterritoryforwineproductsoriginatinginthirdcountries
THECOUNCILOFTHEEUROPEAN
COMMUNITIES ,dependingonthecase,productsofsound,fairand
marketablequalityoriginatinginathirdcountryor
thattheyhavebeenproducedinaccordancewith
CommunityprovisionsorthoseoftheMemberState
concerned ;
Whereasconfusionbetweenwinesproducedinfree
zonesandCommunitywinesshouldbeavoided;
whereastheissueofacertificateoforiginbythe
competentauthoritiesoftheMemberStatesforthe
productsobtainedinthefreezoneswouldbelikelyto
createsuchconfusion;whereasitthereforeappears
necessarytoprovide,forthepurposeofachievingthe
agriculturalobjectiveofthisRegulation,thatnocertifi­
cateoforiginmaybeissuedfortheproductsthus
obtained;
Whereas,toavoidconfusion,therulesconcerningthe
descriptionofthewinesconcernedshouldalsobe
defined;whereas,inthisrespect,adistinctionshould
bedrawnbetweenmandatoryinformationnecessary
toidentifythewinesandoptionalinformation
designedtoindicatethespecialpropertiesofthewine
ortocharacterizethem,HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishingtheEuropean
EconomicCommunity ,
HavingregardtoCouncilRegulation (EEC)No
816/70of28April1970layingdownadditionalprovi­
sionsforthecommonorganizationofthemarketin
wine(J),aslastamendedbyRegulation (EEC)No
2842/76(2),andinparticularthethirdsubparagraph
ofArticle26(4)andthethirdsubparagraph ofArticle
28(2)thereof,
HavingregardtotheproposalfromtheCommission ,
Whereasthefirstsubparagraph ofArticle26(4)and
thefirstsubparagraph ofArticle28(2)ofRegulation
(EEC)No816/70prohibitonCommunityterritory,
exceptbywayofderogation,coupageofawineorigi­
natinginathirdcountrywithaCommunitywineand
coupagebetweenwinesoriginatinginthirdcountries,
themakingofwinefromimportedbasicproductsand
theadditionofsuchproductstowine;whereas,
however,asanexceptiontothisrule,theseoperations
areauthorizedinthefreezonesprovidedthatthe
wineobtainedrherefromisintendedforre-consign­
menttoathirdcountry;
WhereasitshouldbenotedthatCouncilDirective
69/75/EECof4March1969ontheharmonization of
provisionslaiddownbylaw,regulationoradministra­
tiveactionrelatingtofreezones(3),aslastamended
byDirective76/634/EEC(4),continuestoapply;
Whereasitisnecessaryinaccordancewiththethird
subparagraph ofArticle26(4)andwiththethird
subparagraph ofArticle28(2)oftheabovementioned
Regulation,toadopttheprovisionsfortheapplication
oftheseoperationsandtherulesgoverningthe
descriptionofthewinesproducedinthefreezones;
Whereas,inordertoensureeffectivesupervisionof
operationsinthefreezones,itisnecessarytoprovide
forthepriorauthorizationthereofbytheMember
Stateconcernedandthesettingupofmeansforsuper­
visingthemovementsoftheproductsconcerned ;
Whereas,inordertopreventabuses,itmustbelaid
downthattheproductsusedforsuchoperationsare,HASADOPTEDTHISREGULATION :
Article1
1.Anynaturalorlegalpersonoranyassociationof
personsintendingtoeffectinafreezone,withinthe
meaningofDirective69/75/EEC,oneofthefollowing
operations :
(a)coupageofwinesoriginatinginathirdcountry
withCommunitywines;
(b)coupagebetweenwinesoriginatinginthirdcoun­
tries;
(c)themakingofwineinaccordancewithCommu­
nityprovisionsor,intheabsenceofsuchprovi­
sions,withnationallegislationinforceasat1
March1977andsubjecttoArticle2(2),fromfresh
grapes,grapemust,grapejuice,grapemustin
fermentation ,originatinginthirdcountries;(')OJNoL99,5.5.1970,p.1.
(2)OJNoL327,26.11.1976,p.2.
(3)OJNoL58,8.3.1969,p.11.
(«)OJNoL223,16.8.1976,p.7.

29.12.76 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities NoL357/17
or Article2
1.Onlythefollowingshallbeusedfortheopera­
tionsreferredtoinArticle1(1):
—productsofsound,fairandmarketablequalityorig­
inatinginthirdcountries,
or
—Communityproductswhichhavebeenproduced
inaccordancewithCommunityprovisionsor,in
theabsenceofsuchprovisions,withtheprovisions
oftheMemberStateconcerned .
2.Inthecontextoftheoperationreferredtoin
Article1(1)(c),increasingthealcoholicstrengthof
theproductconcernedandalsoacidificationandde­
acidificationshallbeprohibited.(d)theadditiontowineofconcentratedgrapejuice,
grapemustwithfermentationarrestedbyaddition
ofalcohol,ofgrapemustorofconcentratedgrape
must,originatinginthirdcountries;
shallsubmitanapplicationtotheappropriateauthori­
tiesdesignatedbytheMemberStates.Authorization
bythoseauthoritiestocarryouttheaforementioned
operationsmaybegivenonlyiftherequiredassur­
ancesaregiventhattheproductsresultingfromthe
operationsinquestionwillbekeptinseparateprem­
isesorseparatedfromotherproductsofthewine
sectorstoredinthefreezoneandthattheywillbe
re-exportedtoathirdcountry.
2.Theproductsresultingfromtheoperations
referredtoinparagraph 1maynotbeplacedinfree
circulationintheCommunityandmustbesubjected
tocustomscontrolwhichwillensurethattheyare
dispatchedonlytoathirdcountryandwithoutfurther
processing.
3.Allpersonsconcernedshallkeepentryandexit
registers,inaccordancewiththeprovisionslaiddown
pursuanttoArticle29(3)ofRegulation(EEC)No
816/70,enablingthemovementsofthoseproducts
andoftheproductsreferredtoinparagraph 1tobe
supervised .Entriesintheregistersshallbemadeon
thebasisoftheofficialdocumentsdrawnupbythe
authoritiesofthethirdcountriesor,intheabsenceof
suchdocuments ,onthebasisofcommercialdocu­
ments.Article3
Nocertificateoforiginshallbeissuedinrespectof
productswhichhaveundergonetheoperationslisted
inArticle1.
Article4
1.Thedescriptionofawineresultingfromthe
operationsreferredtoinArticle1(1)shallincludethe
followinginformation :
(a)theword'wine'withorwithoutastatementasto
whetherthewineisred,roseorwhite;
(b)thenominalvolumeofthewine;
Thesedocumentsshallshowatleast:
(a)thenameandaddressoftheconsignor;
(b)thenameandaddressoftheconsignee;
(c)theword'wine'or,ifappropriate,thetypeof
product,thisinformationbeinggivenusingthe
definitionintheCommunityprovisionswhich
mostaccuratelydescribestheproductconcerned ;
(d)thevolumeoftheproduct;
(e)inthecaseof:(c)thenameorbusinessnameofthenaturalorlegal
personorassociationofpersonswhohave
producedthewineinthefreezoneandthe
localitywithinthelatter,wherethewinewas
produced;
(d)wherethewinehasbeenputincontainerswitha
nominalvolumeof60litresorlessandprovided
thatthebottlerisnotoneofthepersonsreferred
toin(c):thenameorbusinessnameofthebottler
andthelocalitywithinthefreezonewhere
bottlingtookplace.
2.Thedescriptionofthewinesmaybesupple­
mentedbythefollowinginformation :
(a)abrandnameprovidedthatitdoesnotshow
words,partsofwords,signsordesignswhich:
—arelikelytocreateafalseimpressionofa
person,particularlythebottler,whohasbeen
involvedinthecommercialdistribution ofthe
productdescribed,
—containfalseormisleadinginformation ,parti­
cularlyinrespectofindicationsofgeogra­
phicalorigin,vinevariety,vintageyearor
superiorquality,—grapemustandgrapejuice,whetherornot
concentrated :thedensity,
—wineandgrapemustinfermentation :the
actualandtotalalcoholicstrength;
(f)thenameofthethirdcountryorcountries
concerned .
Whenanofficialdocumentdrawnupbytheauthori­
tiesofathirdcountryhasbeensubmittedtheoriginal
shallbedepositedwiththeauthoritiesreferredtoin
paragraph 1.

NoL357/18 OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanCommunities 29.12.76
—includethenameofatablewineorofa
qualitywinepsrormayleadtoconfusionwith
thedescriptionofatablewine,aqualitywine
psroranimportedwine,
ordowninArticle7ofRegulationNo24(')tothe
extentrequiredbythelawsofthethirdcountriesto
whichthewinewillbedispatched.
Thedescriptionofwinesresultingfromoneofthe
operationsreferredtoinArticle1(1)shallnotbear
anyindication,sign,illustrationorbrandnamewhich
mightleadtoconfusionwithaCommunityproduct.
ArticleS—containinformationconcerningthegeogra­
phicalorigin,vinevariety,vintageyearorany
indicationofsuperiorquality;
(b)theactualand/ortotalalcoholicstrength;
(c)arecommendation totheconsumerastotheuse
ofthewine.
3.Onlytheinformationspecifiedinparagraphs 1
and2shallbepermittedforthedescriptionofwines
resultingfromoneoftheoperationsreferredtoin
Article1(1).
Supplementary information may,however,be
providedforinaccordancewiththeprocedurelaidThisRegulationshallnotprejudicetheapplicationof
Directive69/75/EEC.
Article6
ThisRegulationshallenterintoforceon1March
1977.
ThisRegulationshallbebindinginitsentiretyanddirectlyapplicableinallMember
States.
DoneatBrussels,21December1976.
FortheCouncil
ThePresident
A.P.L.M.M.vanderSTEE
(')OJNo30,20.4.1962,p.989/62.