Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Proposal for a Council Regulation (EC) amending Regulation (EEC) No 823/87 laying down special provisions relating to quality wines produced in specified regions` (98/C 214/18)

On 3 March 1998 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under Articles 43 and 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned proposal.

The Section for Agriculture and Fisheries, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 2 April 1998. The rapporteur was Mr Espuny Moyano.

At its 354th plenary session (meeting of 29 April 1998), the Economic and Social Committee adopted the following opinion with 111 votes in favour and seven abstentions.

1. Introduction

1.1. The proposal seeks to allow Member States to make bottling in the specified region of production compulsory for certain quality wines psr, provided that the following objective conditions are met:

- bottling within the region of production gives the wine special characteristics or is an important factor in preserving the special characteristics acquired;

- the overwhelming majority of operators in the sector support such a step.

1.1.1. The proposal to add this obligation to the requirements governing designation of origin is justified by the legal nature of the industrial and commercial property rights governing such designations, with a view to protecting the quality and reputation of the wine and the guarantee of its origin and ensuring stricter checks on authenticity.

1.2. Under the proposal, Member States which decide to require that certain quality wines psr be bottled in the region of production must allow these wines to continue to be bottled outside the designated regions, for a transitional period of five years, by operators who have been bottling them outside these regions for at least three years prior to the entry into force of the regulation. Member States may only introduce the obligation after they have sent the Commission detailed information demonstrating that they fulfil the required conditions.

2. General comments

2.1. The Committee welcomes the Commission proposal. The regulation will give EU legislative force to certain rules and practices which have traditionally always been followed in all producer Member States, as regards the obligation to bottle certain quality wines psr in the region of origin in order to protect their quality, defining characteristics, reputation and authenticity.

3. Specific comments

3.1. The Committee is also pleased that the Commission proposal prevents Member States from obliging operators to bottle a quality wine psr in the region of production against their will, as expressed by their recognized sectoral organizations.

3.2. However, the Committee considers that in the two indents of the second paragraph of Article 1(1), the words 'joint-trade organization` should be replaced by 'joint-trade or sectoral organization`. This is necessary in order to respect the subsidiarity principle, as the nature - and the names - of the sectoral organizations involved in wine designations differ greatly in the various Member States.

Brussels, 29 April 1998.

The President of the Economic and Social Committee

Tom JENKINS