Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the 'Proposal for a European Parliament and Council Regulation amending Council Regulation (EC) No 820/97, establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of beef products'
Date: 1999-12-09
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: beef, cattle, database, health control, labelling, meat product

23.2.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 51/95

Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a European Parliament and
Council Regulation amending Council Regulation (EC) No 820/97, establishing a system for the
identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of beef and beef
products’

(2000/C 51/21)

On 12 November 1999 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under
Article 152 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, on the above-mentioned proposal.

The Economic and Social Committee decided to appoint Mr David Evans as rapporteur-general with the
task of preparing the Committee’s work on the subject.

At its 368th plenary session (meeting of 9 December 1999), the Economic and Social Committee adopted
the following opinion by 40 votes to one with four abstentions.

1. General remarks

Council Regulation (EC) No 820/97, establishing a system for
the identification and registration of bovine animals and
regarding the labelling of beef and beef products, lays down
that a compulsory beef labelling system shall be introduced
from 1 January 2000 onwards. The new proposal by the
Commission provides for a delay of the introduction of the
compulsory beef labelling rules beyond the start of next year
— deferring limited labelling rules not later than 1 January
2001 and full rules until the start of 2003. There are two
practical reasons for this postponement: Firstly, the European
Court of Justice will shortly rule on the legal base of Regulation
(EC) No 820/97 as the Commission and the European
Parliament consider Article 152 of the amended Treaty and
not the former Article 43 as being the correct base (co-decision
rather than consultation). Secondly, the full databases which
are central to the labelling requirements are not in place in all
Member States and systems compatible with the rules are not
likely to be functioning properly in some Member States in the

near future. Consequently, the procedures for the adoption of
that regulation will not be completed before 1 January 2000.

The object of this present proposal is, therefore simply to
extend the existing voluntary labelling system, up to a
maximum of one year, until compulsory rules enter into force.
This will avoid a legal vacuum which would otherwise be
created, and which would cause confusion for suppliers and
consumers alike.

2. Special remarks

The Committee considers the compulsory beef labelling as a
very important instrument to maintain and strengthen con-
sumer confidence in the beef sector. In that sense, it very much
regrets the postponement. For the practical reasons mentioned
above, however, it supports the proposal to delay the introduc-
tion of the compulsory beef labelling rules and urges the
decision making bodies to adopt the system as soon as
possible.

Brussels, 9 December 1999.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Beatrice RANGONI MACHIAVELLI