30. 11. 81 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 310/9 
Opinion on the 
— proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EEC) No 337/79 on the common 
organization of the market in wine and Regulation (EEC) No 950/68 on the Common 
Customs Tariff; 
and the 
— proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EEC) No 338/79 laying down 
special provisions relating to quality wines produced in specified regions 
The text referred to the Committee has been published in Official Journal of the European 
Communities No C 206 of 14 August 1981, pages 4 and 11. 
A. LEGAL BASIS FOR THE OPINION 
On 12 June 1981 the Council referred the abovementioned proposal to the Economic and 
Social Committee in accordance with Article 43 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 
190th plenary session held in Brussels on 23 and 24 September 1981. 
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 Article 43 
thereof, 
Having regard to the request made by the Council of the 
European Communities on 12 June 1981 for an opinion 
on the proposal for a Council Regulation amending 
Regulation (EEC) No 337/79 on the common 
organization of the market in wine and Regulation (EEC) 
No 950/68 on the Common Customs Tariff, and the 
proposal for a Council Regulation (EEC) amending 
Regulation (EEC) No 338/79 laying down special 
provisions relating to quality wines produced in specified 
regions, 
Having regard to the decision of its Bureau on 30 June 
1981 instructing the Section for Agriculture to do the 
preparatory work on the matter, 
Having regard to its previous work on the wine sector 
and, in particular, its opinion of 4 April 1979 on the 
proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation 
(EEC) No 816/70 laying down additional provisions for 
the common organization of the market in wine ('), 
Having regard to the opinion issued by the Section for 
Agriculture on 3 September 1981, Having regard to the report of the Rapporteur, Mr 
Rainero, 
Having regard to the discussions at its meeting on 
23 September 1981 (190th plenary session of 23 and 
24 September 1981), 
HAS ADOPTED THE FOLLOWING OPINION 
with one vote against: 
The Committee approves the Commission's proposals, 
subject to the comments which follow below: 
1. GENERAL COMMENTS 
1.1. The Committee acknowledges that while the 
Commission's proposed amendments to Regulation 
(EEC) No 337/79 (2), 950/68 (3) and 338/79 (4) are 
important they are not going to bring about a 
fundamental change in the economic framework of the 
Community's wine regulations. They will lead instead 
to: 
(a) practical, technical and administrative adjustments 
to and an updating of the present rules; and 
(>) OJ NoC 171, 9. 7. 1979. (2) OJNoL54, 5. 3. 1979. 
(3) OJ No L 172, 27. 7. 1968. 
(4) OJ No L 54, 5. 3. 1979. 
No C 310 /10 Official Journal of the 
(b) a smoother and more effective application of the 
Community's regulations concerning the wine 
sector. 
1.2. In this connection, the Committee has had to note 
a certain difficulty in finding in the present Regulations the 
exact points which are the subject of the new proposals. 
The Committee therefore asks the Commission in future 
to word its proposals more clearly and, above all, to 
provide a codified guide to existing Regulations in all the 
Community languages. The Regulations are now so 
complex and detailed, and are being constantly amended, 
that operators in the wine sector find it difficult to 
understand them. 
1.3. Moreover, because of the crisis in the market for 
wine, and the episodes which have upset trade between 
Italy and France, the Committee believes that the 
Community wine Regulations should be thoroughly 
amended. It therefore urges the Commission to present 
comprehensive proposals on the issue, so as to guarantee 
the free movement of goods and a more balanced market, 
upon which the wine producers depend for a satisfactory 
income. 
1.4. The Committee notes that the present proposals 
will not have any repercussions on the Community 
budget. 
1.5. Finally, the Committee would like to take this 
opportunity to urge the Commission, as far as possible, to 
take increasingly restrictive measures as regards the use of 
chemical additives in wine. 
2. SPECIFIC COMMENTS 
2.1. Proposal for a Council Regulation amending 
Regulation (EEC) No 337/79 on the common 
organization of the market in wine and Regulation 
(EEC) No 950/68 on the Common Customs 
Tariff 
2.1.1. Article 1 (2) (Amendment of the second indent of 
Article 8 (2) of Regulation (EEC) No 337/79) 
The Committee approves the proposal designed to make 
it easier to use musts covered by long-term storage 
contracts during the wine-making period. But it thinks a 
better solution would have been to standardize the 
termination date of all long-term contracts and allow 
such contracts to be concluded for the period 16 
December - 15 February (and not 16 December - 31 
January as proposed). This would be more in keeping 
with the dual requirement of (a) making musts available uropean Communities 30. 11. 81 
for use at the beginning of the harvest of the following 
marketing year and (b) making it easier for producers to 
avail themselves of the measures provided for by the 
Regulation. 
2.1.2. Article 1 (4) (Amendment of Article 14a (1) of 
Regulation (EEC) No 337/79) 
While the Committee understands and approves the 
Commission's proposal, it feels it should recall and 
reconfirm the declaration in one of its previous 
opinions (') that the Economic and Social Committee 
could not accept the proposal to introduce permanent 
aids for the manufacture of fruit juices and British and 
Irish wines until such time as: 
(a) the Commission submitted proposals on the 
production, labelling and presentation of liqueur 
wines, vermouths and all the alcoholic drinks falling 
within heading 22.07 of the Common Customs 
Tariff; and 
(b) once the proposals under (a) had been adopted, a 
further look had been taken - against a background 
of market transparency and uniform terms of 
competition for all drinks referred to in (a) above, 
particularly with regard to labelling, presentation 
and access to raw material - at the question of aid 
for the purchase of Community musts and 
concentrated musts intended for the manufacture of 
British and Irish wines. 
The Committee also feels that the translations in the 
various languages of the terms 'British', 'Irish' or 
'home-made wines' may create an image of a product (i.e. 
wine) from which the abovementioned beverages differ 
considerably. The Committee therefore asks that the end 
of the second indent in the first paragraph of Article 1 (4) 
be worded in such a way that there cannot be any 
confusion between these three products and wine as 
defined under Community law in Annex II to Regulation 
(EEC) No 337/79. Every time that these products have to 
be mentioned in Community texts one should only use the 
English terms for them, irrespective of the language used 
normally; this particularly applies to labelling. 
2.1.3. Article 1 (7) 
To help eliminate de-acidification through the addition of 
sugared water (which is still authorized in wine-growing 
H Opinion of 4 April 1979 (OJ No C 171, 9. 7. 1979) on a 
proposal for a Council Regulation (EEC) No 816/70 laying 
down additional provisions for the common organization of 
the market in wine (OJ No C 9, 11. 1. 1979). 
30. 11. 81 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 310/11 
area A) by the final deadline of 15 March 1984, the 
Committee asks the Commission to study the possibility 
of authorizing other methods of de-acidification. 
2.1.4. Article 2 (Amendment of point 5 in Annex II to 
Regulation (EEC) No 337/79) 
The Committee approves the use of a refractometer to 
determine the concentration of grape musts and juices, in 
accordance with the method laid down for processed fruit 
and vegetables in Annex III to Regulation (EEC) No 
516/77 of 14 March 1977. It therefore urges that a 
refractometer scale specifically for products of the wine 
sector be introduced as soon as possible. 
2.1.5. Article 3 (Amendment of Annex III to Regulation 
(EEC) No 337/79) 
The Committee approves what the Commission is 
proposing. But it would refer here to its remarks above in 
point 1.5 of the General Comments. 
2.1.6. Article 6 (Amendment of the Common Customs 
Tariff annexed to Regulation (EEC) No 
950/68) 
The Committee thinks that the first part of Article 6(2) 
should be amended to read as follows: 
'A. "sparkling wine" (subheading 22.05 A) means a 
product having a final alcoholic strength by 
volume of not less than 8-5%, obtained . . .'. 
Done at Brussels, 23 Spetember 1981. The present lack of precision may create confusion. 
3.1. Proposal for a Council Regulation amending 
Regulation (EEC) No 338/79 laying down special 
provisions relating to quality wines produced in 
specified regions 
3.1.1. Article 1 (I) (Amendment of Article 6 (2) of 
Regulation (EEC) No 338/79) 
The Committee approves the Commission's proposal. 
However, it recognizes that the deadline of 31 August 
1991 may pose problems for some Member States. It 
therefore wonders whether it would not be better to 
provide for a longer transitional period. 
3.1.2. Article 1 (2) (Amendment of Article 12 (5) of 
Regulation (EEC) No 338/79) 
The Committee approves the Commission's proposal to 
extend the waiver allowed for quality sparkling wines psr 
produced in Italy. 
But it does urge that such a waiver should be permanent 
for certain quality sparkling wines psr on an approved 
and restricted list. This request is based not on technical 
or commercial considerations but on the fact that some 
quality sparkling wines' psr tend to lose their qualities 
following a long period of preparation. 
The Chairman 
of the 
Economic and Social Committee 
Tomas ROSEINGRAVE