WRITTEN QUESTION No. 900/96 by Michl EBNER to the Commission. Confusion between geographical descriptions of table wines in Italy
Date: 1996-04-23
Institutions: EBNER, European Parliament
Subjects: Austria, Autonomous Province of Trento, application of EU law, competence of the Member States, consumer protection, originating product, table wine, wine of superior quality













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91996E0900

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 900/96 by Michl EBNER to the Commission. Confusion between geographical descriptions of table wines in Italy  


Official Journal C 280 , 25/09/1996 P. 0103 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-0900/96 by Michl Ebner (PPE) to the Commission (23 April 1996)Subject: Confusion between geographical descriptions of table wines in ItalyIn a decree issued by the Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Forestry on 22 November 1995, published in the Official Journal of the Italian Republic on 27 December 1995, Italy authorized the wine producers of the province of Trento to use the geographical description Atesino to identify their own table wines.This is despite the fact that the European Union established the principle, in Article 4 of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2392/89 ((OJ L 232, 09.08.1989, p. 13. )), that a geographical name cannot be used for a table wine if it can be confused with the name of a quality wine psr.The term Atesino is the adjective from the noun Adige, under which both the South Tyrol quality wines psr and the Valdadige quality wine psr are registered. The South Tyrol quality wines psr, in particular, are placed on the market under the name Alto Adige. To the Italian consumer, a wine from the South Tyrol is therefore a vino altoatesino. Furthermore, the consumer will hardly make a distinction between Atesino and Altoatesino since there is no Adige Region in Italy and there are no products described as Atesino although there is the Alto Adige (South Tyrol) Autonomous Region which means that there are products described as Altoatesino.Furthermore, it must be stressed that the harm caused to wine producers in the South Tyrol as a result of the confusing table wine description Atesino is huge as they have protected almost the whole of their production under the name Alto Adige (or South Tyrol) quality wine psr.What does the Commission intend to do to protect the consumer from the danger of confusing the Atesino table wine designation with the Alto Adige and Valdadige designations for quality wines psr, which have already been registered and are economically important, and to mitigate the damage done to South Tyrolean wine producers?Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission (15 May 1996)The Commission ventures to remind the Honourable Member that Community law applying to table wines which are geographically designated lays down that it is the producer Member States which decide on the rules for their use (subject to complying with the minimum conditions set by Community rules) and recognize the list of names of geographical units smaller than the Member State that may be used in connection with these wines.In the process of granting recognition to these geographical designations Member States take all material points into consideration, including the point of not causing confusion in the minds of consumers, and must ensure that Community rules are applied.The Commission takes note, however, of the points which the Honourable Member has brought to its attention; they will be analysed and taken into consideration when this matter - on which the Commission has received a complaint - is under examination.