No C 180/22 Official  Journal  of the European  Communities 28. 7. 77 
II 
(Preparatory  Acts) 
ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE 
Opinion  on the  proposal  for  a Council  Regulation  amending  Regulations  (EEC) 
No 816/70,  (EEC)  No 2893/74  and  (EEC)  No 817/70  as regards  the maximum  total 
sulphur  dioxide  content  of wines  other  than  liqueur  wines 
The text  referred  to the  Committee  has  been  published  in Official  Journal  of the 
European  Communities  No C 88 of 13 April  1977,  page  5. 
A. LEGAL  BASIS  FOR  THE  OPINION 
On 7 April  1977,  the Council  referred  the abovementioned  proposal  to the Economic 
and Social  Committee  in accordance  with  Articles  47 and 198 of the Treaty  establishing 
the European  Economic  Community. 
B. OPINION  OF THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE 
The Economic  and  Social  Committee  prepared  its opinion  on the above  matter  at its 
150th  plenary  session,  held  in Brussels  on 22 and 23 June  1977. 
The full text of the opinion  is as follows: 
THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE, 
Having  regard  to the Treaty  establishing  the Euro-
pean  Economic  Community  and  in  particular 
Articles  47 and 198 thereof, 
Having  regard  to the request  for an opinion  made 
by the  Council  of the  European  Communities  on 
7 April  1977, 
Having  regard  to the decision  taken  by its Bureau 
on 26  April  1977,  instructing  the  Section  for 
Agriculture  to draw  up an opinion  on the matter, 
Having  regard  to the  opinion  drawn  up by the 
rapporteur,  Mr Rainero,  and  adopted  by the Section 
for Agriculture  at its meeting  on 2 June  1977, 
Having  regard  to the discussions  at its 150th  plenary 
session  held  on 22 and  23 June  1977  (meeting  on 
22 June  1977), 
HAS  ADOPTED  THE  FOLLOWING  OPINION 
with 2 votes  against  and 10 abstentions: 1. The  Committee  approves  the  Commission's 
proposal. 
2. Reducing  the sulphur  dioxide  content  permitted 
in certain  wines  has  been  done  in the interests  of 
health,  about  which  the Commission  is right  to show 
concern.  As scientific  knowledge  and  techniques 
improve,  further  action  should  be taken  so that 
similar  measures  can  be applied  to all relevant 
foodstuffs. 
Such  an  initiative,  particularly  at the  level  of 
production,  would  be difficult  to justify  if it were 
restricted  only  to wine,  a product  which  is already 
subject  to particularly  onerous  regulations. 
3. The  Committee  is aware  of the variety  of wines 
produced  in the different  areas  of the  Community 
and of the need  to respect  production  methods  and 
consumption  patterns.  It nevertheless  hopes  that  the 
Commission  will  gradually  align  the present  proposed 
derogations  on the figures  contained  in Article  1 (1). 
28. 7. 77 Official  Journal  of the European  Communities No C 180/23 
This  presupposes  further  technical  and  scientific 
research,  which  the Commission  should  help  finance 
and get involved  in as directly  as possible. 
4. The  Committee  thinks  that  consideration  should 
be given  to making  the  consumer  better  informed 
about  the  various  substances  in wine,  especially 
sulphur  dioxide  and  sorbic  acid. 
In future,  the SO2  content  of different  foods  could 
be mentioned  on  their  labels,  so as to avoid 
distortions  of competition  and  ensure  that  consumers 
were  properly  informed. 
5. As  far as the Commission's  proposed  derogations 
for certain  Romanian  and  Austrian  wines  are 
concerned,  the  Committee  considers  that  bringing 
imported  products  under  the present  Regulation  may 
for one  thing  create  distortions  between  these  wines 
and other  non-EEC  wines,  and  for  another  lead  to 
a further  imbalance  adversely  affecting  Community 
Done  at Brussels,  22 June  1977. wines,  especially  if account  is taken  of the restrictive 
Regulations  which  are  at present  applicable  to the 
latter  (ban  on planting,  yield  requirement,  etc.). 
The Committee  therefore  urges  that  all derogations 
of this  kind  be removed  from  Community  provisions. 
At any  event,  the Committee  believes  that  any  easing 
of the rules  applying  to wines  imported  into  the EEC 
must,  like  the present  case,  only  be permitted  if there 
is a properly  codified  set of standards  in the country 
of origin. 
6. Finally,  the Committee  trusts  that  the Commis-
sion will  make  every  effort  to do away  with  the 
excessive  divergencies  in the rules  applying  to wine 
made  in the various  regions  of the Community,  which 
are not to be found  in regulations  applicable  to other 
products.  This  would  enable  the conditions  governing 
the production  and  marketing  of wine  in the Com-
munity  to be better  aligned. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic  and  Social  Committee 
Basil  de FERRANTI 
Opinion  on agricultural  incomes  in the Community 
The text  referred  to the Committee  has  not  yet been  published  in the Official  Journal 
of the European  Communities. 
A. LEGAL  BASIS  FOR  THE  OPINION 
On 22 February  1977  the Bureau  of the Committee  decided,  under  the third  paragraph 
of Article  20 of its Rules  of Procedure,  to deliver  an additional  opinion  on the 
abovementioned  subject. 
B. OPINION  OF  THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE 
The Economic  and  Social  Committee  prepared  its opinion  on the  above  matter  at its 
150th  plenary  session,  held  in Brussels  on 22 and  23 June  1977. 
The full  text  of the opinion  is as follows: 
THE  ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  COMMITTEE, 
Having  regard  to  the  Treaty  establishing  the 
European  Economic  Community,  and  in particular 
Articles  43 and  198  thereof, 
Having  regard  to the request  made  by the Council  of 
the European  Communities  on 14 February  1977  for an opinion  on the  Commission  proposals  on the 
fixing  of prices  for certain  agricultural  products  and 
on certain  related  measures, 
Having  regard  to its opinion  on the above  proposals, 
delivered  on 24 February  1977  (*), 
(!) OJ  No C 77, 30. 3. 1977.