WRITTEN QUESTION No. 4220/97 by Maartje van PUTTEN to the Commission. Labelling of foodstuffs - legibility
Date: 1998-01-21
Institutions: European Parliament, VAN PUTTEN
Subjects: consumer information, foodstuff, labelling, marketing, marketing standard, producer's liability

C 187/138

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

16. 6. 98

(98/C 187/211)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-4220/97

by Maartje van Putten (PSE) to the Commission

(21 January 1998)

Subject: Labelling of foodstuffs › legibility

The labelling directive (79/112/EEC) (1)  specifies  in  Article  11  that  the  required  particulars  must  be  (cid:145)easy  to
understand and marked in a conspicuous place in such a way as to be easily visible, clearly legible and indelible(cid:146).
In the Dutch Food and Drugs Act decision on the labelling of foodstuffs this provision is implemented using the
terms easily visible and easy to read (Article 23).

Is it correct that when Member States implement Article 11 referred to above in their legislation they do not

1.
have to specify a minimum character size?

2.

Is the Commission aware of complaints on the use of characters on labels which are too small or unclear?

3.
Does the Commission consider that a minimum size should be specified for the characters used on labels
which, in view of the increasing number of older consumers, would give a correct interpretation of the provision
(cid:145)clearly legible(cid:146)?

4.

If so, is the standard set in internal guidelines for the monitoring of this provision?

(1)  OJ L 33, 8.2.1979, p.1.

Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission

(13 February 1998)

The  implementation  of  Article  11(2)  of  Directive  79/112/EEC,  which  specifies  that  the  information  to  be
provided on the labelling of foodstuffs must be visible and clearly legible, is the operators(cid:146) responsibility.

As  Article  14  of  the  Directive  specifies,  Member  States  must  refrain  from  laying  down  requirements  more
detailed than those already contained in Articles 3 to 11 concerning the manner in which the particulars provided
for in these Articles are to be shown. In accordance with this provision, Member States are not entitled to fix the
size of the characters used on the labelling.

The monitoring authorities in the Member States are however authorised to check if the principles set out in
Article 11(2) and incorporated in national law are being correctly applied. If they believe that the particulars
appearing on the labelling are illegible, they are fully within their rights to request that those responsible for the
labelling modify it accordingly. The Commission is not authorised to carry out such inspections.

(98/C 187/212)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-4231/97

by Undine-Uta Bloch von Blottnitz (V) to the Commission

(14 January 1998)

Subject: EU subsidies to an extreme right-wing organization in southern Sweden

German  newspapers  have  reported  that  a  (cid:145)Society  for  biological  anthropology,  eugenics  and  behavioural
research(cid:146) has received DM 225 000 from the EU Agricultural Fund. This organization is reportedly led by Ju¤rgen
Rieger, a right-wing Hamburg lawyer said to be one of the leading figures of the extreme right in Europe. The
subsidies  were  paid  to  the  racist  (cid:145)Society  for  biological  anthropology,  eugenics  and  behavioural  research(cid:146)
because it claimed to be running an organic farm at Moholm in southern Sweden.

1. What is the Commission(cid:146)s view of the fact that racist organizations are receiving support from the EU(cid:146)s
budget?

Can  the  Commission  rule  out  the  possibility  that  racist  and/or  extreme  right-wing  organizations  are

2.
receiving support from the EU(cid:146)s agriculture budget or other budget headings?