31. 8. 87 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 232/17 
2.8. Annexes 
2.8.1. Annex II 
2.8.1.1. The Committee wants the definition adopted to 
be in line with that laid down in the Regulation on the 
definition of alcoholic drinks. 
2.8.2. Annex III 
2.8.2.1. The Committee has been informed of the need to 
amplify the list of vine varieties referred to in Article 17; it 
Done at Brussels, 1 July 1987. 
1. General comments 
1.1. The Committee is pleased that the Commission 
intends to use the present proposal to harmonize the Member 
States' national laws, in order to ensure that: 
— in future, eggs are produced in the Community on equal 
terms, 
— differences between hygiene rules do not make it 
necessary to impose restrictions on trade. wants the choice of these varieties to respect the tradition that 
has made the reputation of this quality liqueur wine psr. 
B. PROPOSAL FOR A COUNCIL REGULATION 
AMENDING REGULATION (EEC) NO .../87 ON 
THE COMMON ORGANIZATION OF THE WINE 
MARKET 
1. The Committee has reservations about authorizing the 
addition of caramel. 
1.1. After noting that this Regulation consists of a simple 
updating of the Regulation codifying the wine laws, by 
inserting the provisions concerning liqueur wines, the 
Committee is in agreement with this proposal. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Alfons MARGOT 
the consumer and the economy and that it also contributes to 
the effectiveness of the common market. 
1.2. The Committee particularly welcomes the 
stipulation in the fifth recital that the rules are to be applied in 
an identical manner to intra-Community trade and to trade 
within the Member States. The Committee sees this as 
evidence of the Commission's intention to ensure that the 
Directive is uniformly applied in all the Member States. Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the proposal for a Council Directive on health 
problems affecting the production and the placing on the market of egg products 
(87/C 232/11) 
On 27 February 1987 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under 
Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the abovementioned 
proposal. 
The Section for Agriculture, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the 
subject, adopted its opinion on 17 June 1987 in the light of the oral report by Mr Wick. 
At its 247th plenary session (meeting of 1 July 1987) the Economic and Social Committee 
unanimously adopted the following opinion: 
The Committee supports the Commission's proposal, subject to the following comments: 
The Committee believes that the proposal is in the interests of 1.3. The Committee points out that the rules must be 
clear to those required to comply with them. 
No C 232/18 Official Journal of the European Communities 31. 8. 87 
1.4. A number of the rules overlap to some extent — 
particularly in various chapters of the Annex. The 
Committee wonders whether the Annex could not be 
redrafted and restructured — possibly as follows: 
— requirements concerning raw materials (eggs and/or egg 
products), 
— requirements concerning establishments breaking eggs 
(inter alia farms of production and packing centres), 
— requirements concerning treatment establishments, 
— requirements concerning egg products after treatment, 
— labelling rules. 
2. Specific comments 
2.1. Article 2 
2.1.1. Article 2(1) 
(a) Article 2 (1), first sentence 
N/A — applies to German text only. 
(b) Article 2(1) 
Egg products are obtained as soon as eggs are broken and the 
contents removed, i.e. before any treatment has taken place 
and independently of it. Where eggs are destined for 
consumption, breaking is not the same thing as treatment. 
The Committee therefore suggests that egg products be 
defined without reference to treatment, as follows: 
« 
'1. Egg products: Products from the eggs of hens, guinea 
fowl, turkeys, ducks, geese or quail, especially liquid 
whole egg, liquid egg yolk, liquid egg white (liquid 
ovalbumin), deep frozen whole egg (frozen whole egg), 
deep frozen egg yolk (frozen egg yolk), deep frozen egg 
white (frozen egg white, frozen ovalbumin), dried whole 
egg (egg powder, whole egg powder), dried egg yolk, 
dried egg white (crystallized egg white, dried ovalbumin, 
spray-dried egg white), also the above products mixed 
with each other or thickened; 
they may be partly supplemented with other foodstuffs or 
additives, provided that at least 50 % of the egg products 
thus obtained consists of natural egg constituents.' 
2.1.2. Article 2 (4) 
Whenever eggs are broken the result is egg products. Farms 
and packing centres necessarily produce untreated egg 
products. It is, however, neither necessary nor possible to 
require that these establishments be officially approved. It is, however, necessary that establishments treating egg products 
and thus manufacturing foodstuffs should have to be 
approved. From this the following definition can be 
derived: 
'4. Establishment: Establishment approved for the 
treatment of egg products.' 
2.1.3. Article 2 (5) 
If the term 'treatment' is to cover all approved treatment 
processes, the definition should not be restricted to a single 
treatment process. The following definition is suggested: 
'5. Treatment: Treatment of egg products by an 
approved process which fulfils the specific 
microbiological requirements of Chapter VI of the 
Annex.' 
2.1.4. Article 2 (8) and (9) (^ 
In the German terminology of the trade,, a quantity of egg 
products treated at the same time is normally referred to as a 
'Charge' and not a 'Partie' as in the present German text. 
'Partie' should consequently be replaced by 'Charge' in 
Article 2 (8) of the German text. 
In view of the need to maintain a distinction between the 
various checks carried out and any resulting decisions, the 
term 'Partie' should be used in Article 2 (9) of the German 
version in place of 'Sendung'. Using as a basis Regulation 
(EEC) No 2772/75, the following wording is suggested for 
the German text of Article 2 (9): 
'9. Partie: Menge der Eiprodukte, die sich zum selben 
Zeitpunkt mit derselben Charge-Nummer am selben Ort 
befindet' 
(9. Consignment: A quantity of egg products having the 
same batch number and located at the same place at a 
given time.) 
2.1.5. Article 2 (10) and (11) 
Countries of despatch and destination can be 
non-Community countries. The definition should not 
therefore refer only to Member States. 
The country of despatch can only mean the country from 
which the egg products are sent to their destinations, and not 
the country in which they are produced. Country of origin 
should also be defined. 
2.1.6. Article 2 (14) 
'Placing on the market' should be specifically defined by the 
draft Directive and not merely by reference to another 
Community legal instrument. The following definition is 
suggested: 
'14. Placing on the market: Holding stock destined for 
sale, displaying or offering for sale, selling or supplying 
egg products or otherwise bringing them into 
circulation.' 
(l) Translator's note: These comments would seem to apply only to 
the German version. 
31. 8. 87 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 232/19 
2.2. Article 3 
2.2.1. Article 3, first sentence 
As egg products can be used both for food and for industrial 
purposes, the Committee suggests that the first sentence be 
amplified as follows: 
'. . . that only egg products which meet the following 
general requirements are produced and placed on the 
market as foodstuffs . . .' 
2.2.2. Article 3 (a) 
The egg products must have been 'treated' in an approved 
establishment within the meaning of Article 2 (4). 
2.2.3. Article 3 (1) (c), second indent 
This exception to the general rule that all egg products to be 
used as food must be treated could mean the Directive being 
applied differently in the various Member States to domestic 
sales. The Committee sees no necessity for this exception and 
recommends that the second indent be deleted. 
2.3. Article 4 
2.3.1. Article 4, fourth indent 
It is possible to record the date of production, but not always 
the time of production as the treatment of egg products is a 
continuous process. The Committee suggests that the period 
of time during which eggs were produced should therefore be 
indicated, rather than the precise time. 
2.4. Article 8 (4) (b) 
The Committee feels that consideration should be given to 
making risks to animal health a reason for referral to the 
competent authority. 
2.5. Annex Chapter IV 
2.5.1. Annex Chapter IV (1) 
Rules for the packing of eggs have already been laid down in 
Regulation (EEC) No 95/69, Article 3. The Committee 
considers it unacceptable that packaging material for eggs, 
which are later to be used to manufacture egg products, 
should be subject to different requirements from packaging 
used for eggs sold directly to the consumer as foodstuffs. 
With reference to Article 3 of Regulation (EEC) No 95/69, 
the following wording should be used: '1. Materials used for packaging eggs destined for 
processing as egg products must be dry, undamaged and 
clean; they must protect the eggs from deterioration and 
extraneous odours and not emit any substances 
dangerous to human health. The inner packaging 
material should also be shock absorbent. 
Inner and outer packaging may only be re-used if it is still 
in perfect condition and if it meet the above technical and 
hygienic requirements.' 
2.5.2. Annex Chapter IV (2) 
The Committee points out that there is no point in sending 
eggs with damaged shells to treatment centres to be 
broken. ^-» 
The Committee also points out that it is hard to utilize eggs 
broken by accident. There must be clear rules on what eggs 
may be used for egg products destined for consumption. It 
would be advisable to lay down separate rules regulating the 
procedure for the breaking of eggs at the farm of production 
or the packing centre. 
The Committee proposes a reworded version of paragraph 2 
and a new paragraph 3: 
'2. For the manufacture of egg products destined for 
consumption, only the following may be used: 
— clean shell eggs, including cracked and misshapen 
eggs (shelless eggs), 
— eggs with damaged shells, provided that the contents 
have been removed immediately. 
Egg products may not be produced by crushing or 
centrifuging. Egg white residues adhering to shells and 
eggs and egg yolk from hen carcases may not be used. The 
use of incubated eggs is also prohibited. 
3. Where eggs are broken at the farm of production or 
the packing centre the contents must be collected under 
optimal conditions of hygiene. Special attention should 
be paid to the following: 
— the contents of the egg must be separated immediately 
the shell is broken, 
— containers used for egg products must be of a material 
which does not deteriorate, and it must be possible to 
close them; they must be cleaned, disinfected and 
rinsed before being filled, 
— immediately after they have been collected egg 
products must be deep frozen or chilled and 
transported to a treatment centre the same day, 
No C 232/20 Official Journal of the European Communities 31. 8. 87 
— egg products must be sent for treatment to establishments 
approved in accordance with this Directive.' 
The old paragraph 3 becomes paragraph 4. 
2.6. Annex Chapter 5 
2.6.1. Annex Chapter 5, paragraph 6 
The Committee calls for a clear ban on certain breaking 
procedures liable to result in the contamination of egg 
contents. The proposed text is inadequate and the following 
wording is therefore suggested: 
'. . .of the egg contents. The manufacture of egg 
products by centrifuging or crushing eggs is prohibited. 
The remains . . .' 2.6.2. Annex Chapter 5, paragraph 9 
Egg products are obtained at treatment establishments, 
packing centres and at farms of production. As egg products 
destined for consumption have to be treated, it is suggested 
that untreated egg products destined for consumption be 
required to be despatched to an approved treatment 
establishment. The proposal does not explicitly require this. 
The first sentence should therefore be reworded to read: 
'9. Egg products collected in a non-approved 
establishment must be sent to an approved establishment 
for treatment. Particular attention should be paid to the 
following: 
(b) 
(c) 
Done at Brussels, 1 July 1987. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Alfons MARGOT 
Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the proposal for a Council Directive adapting to 
technical progress Directive 70/156/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States 
relating to the type-approval of motor vehicles and their trailers (*) 
(87/C 232/12) 
On 13 April 1987 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under Article 
100 of the EEC Treaty, on the abovementioned proposal. 
The Section for Industry, Commerce, Crafts and Services was responsible for preparing the 
Committee's work on the subject. In the course of the work the Committee appointed Mr 
Perrin-Pelletier as rapporteur-general. 
At its 247th plenary session (meeting of 1 July 1987) the Economic and Social Committee adopted the 
following opinion unanimously: 
The Committee endorses the Commission's proposal subject to the following comments: 
1. Introduction 
1.1. The urgent need for a Community definition of 
off-road vehicles derives from the fact that a definition of 
such vehicles is either lacking or varies in the Member States. 
H OJNoC 108,23.4. 1987. This absence of a common definition creates both serious 
disadvantages for manufacturers and barriers to 
intra-Community exchanges in these vehicles. 
1.2. The present proposal concerns the inclusion in 
Annex 1 to Directive 70/156/EEC of the definitions of 
off-road vehicles within categories M (passenger cars) and N 
(motor vehicles used for the carriage of goods). The principal