Commission Regulation (EC) No 597/2003 of 1 April 2003 opening public sales of wine alcohol for use as bioethanol in the European Community
Date: 2003-04-01
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Italy, Spain, award of contract, intervention agency, motor spirit, viticulture

L 85/8

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

2.4.2003

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 597/2003

of 1 April 2003

opening public sales of wine alcohol for use as bioethanol in the European Community

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European
Community,

(5)

The measures provided for in this Regulation are in
accordance with the opinion of
the Management
Committee for Wine,

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 of 17
in
May 1999 on the common organisation of the market
wine (1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2585/2001 (2),

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Having regard to Commission Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000
of 25 July 2000 laying down detailed rules for implementing
Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 on the common organisation
of the market in wine with regard to market mechanisms (3), as
last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1795/2002 (4), and in
particular Article 92 thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000 lays down, inter alia, the
detailed rules for disposing of stocks of alcohol obtained
from distillation under Articles 27, 28 and 30 of Regula-
tion (EC) No 1493/1999 and held by the intervention
agencies.

Public sales of wine alcohol for use in the fuel sector in
the Community should be organised with a view to
reducing Community stocks of wine alcohol and to
some extent ensuring supplies to firms approved under
Article 92 of Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000. Commu-
nity stocks of wine alcohol held by the Member States
come from distillation under Articles 35, 36 and 39 of
Council Regulation (EEC) No 822/87 of 16 March 1987
on the common organisation of the market in wine (5),
as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 1677/1999 (6),
and under Articles 27, 28 and 30 of Regulation (EC) No
1493/1999.

In accordance with Council Regulation (EC) No 2799/98
of 15 December 1998 establishing
agrimonetary
arrangements for the euro (7), the selling price and secu-
rities must be expressed, and payments made, in euro.

Given that there are risks of fraud by substitution of
alcohol, it would appear necessary to reinforce checks
on the final destination of the alcohol, allowing the
intervention agencies to call on the help of international
control agencies and to check the alcohol sold by means
of nuclear magnetic resonance analyses.

(1) OJ L 179, 14.7.1999, p. 1.
(2) OJ L 345, 29.12.2001, p. 10.
(3) OJ L 194, 31.7.2000, p. 45.
(4) OJ L 272, 10.10.2002, p. 15.
(5) OJ L 84, 27.3.1987, p. 1.
(6) OJ L 199, 30.7.1999, p. 8.
(7) OJ L 349, 24.12.1998, p. 1.

Article 1

Four lots of alcohol (references 18/2003 EC, 19/2003 EC, 20/
2003 EC and 21/2003 EC) comprising 50 000 hectolitres,
90 000 hectolitres, 100 000 hectolitres and 10 000 hectolitres
respectively at 100 % vol. are hereby put up for public sale for
use in the fuel sector within the Community. The alcohol has
been obtained from distillation as provided for in Article 35 of
Regulation (EEC) No 822/87 and Articles 27 and 30 of Regula-
tion (EC) No 1493/1999 and is held by the Spanish and Italian
intervention agencies.

Article 2

The location and references of the vats making up the lots, the
quantity of alcohol in each vat, the alcoholic strength and the
characteristics of the alcohol are as set out in the Annex hereto.
The lots shall be awarded to the four firms approved under
Article 92 of Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000.

Article 3

All communications concerning this public sale shall be sent to
the following Commission department:

Commission of the European Communities
Directorate-General for Agriculture, Unit D-4
Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 200
B-1049 Brussels
Fax: (32-2) 295 92 52
E-mail address: agri-d4@cec.eu.int

Article 4

The public sales shall take place in accordance with Articles 92,
93, 94, 95, 96, 98, 100 and 101 of Regulation (EC) No 1623/
2000 and Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 2799/98.

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Article 5

The price of the alcohol for public sale shall be EUR 19 per
hectolitre of alcohol at 100 % vol.

Article 6

The performance security shall be EUR 30 per hectolitre of
alcohol at 100 % vol. Unless a standing guarantee is provided,
before removing any alcohol and by the day of issue of the
removal order at the latest, the firms awarded the lots shall
lodge a performance security with the intervention agency
concerned to ensure that the alcohol
in question is used as
bioethanol in the fuel sector.

Article 7

Against payment of EUR 10 per litre and within 30 days of
the publication of the notice of public sale, the firms approved
under Article 92 of Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000 may obtain
samples of the alcohol put up for sale from the intervention
agency concerned. After that date, samples may be obtained in

accordance with Article 98(2) and (3) of Regulation (EC) No
1623/2000. Samples issued to the approved firms shall amount
to not more than five litres per vat.

Article 8

The intervention agencies in the Member States in which the
alcohol put up for sale is stored shall carry out appropriate
checks to verify the nature of the alcohol at the time of end-
use. To that end, they may:

— apply, mutatis mutandis, the provisions of Article 102 of

Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000,

— carry out checks on samples using nuclear magnetic reso-
nance to verify the nature of the alcohol at the time of end-
use.

The costs shall be borne by the companies to which the alcohol
is sold.

Article 9

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publica-
tion in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 1 April 2003.

For the Commission

Franz FISCHLER

Member of the Commission

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Official Journal of the European Union

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PUBLIC SALES OF WINE ALCOHOL FOR USE AS BIOETHANOL IN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY
Nos 18/2003 EC, 19/2003 EC, 20/2003 EC and 21/2003 EC

ANNEX

I. Place of storage, quantity and characteristics of the alcohol put up for sale

Member State and lot
number

Location

Vat numbers

Quantity
(hectolitres of
alcohol at
100 % vol)

Reference
Regulations (EEC)
No 822/87 and
(EC) No 1493/
1999 Articles

Type of alcohol

SPAIN
Lot No 18/2003 EC

Tarancón

Tomelloso

SPAIN
Lot No 19/2003 EC

Tarancón

Tomelloso

B-3

5

A-5

B-5

B-2

5

Total

Total

ITALY
Lot No 20/2003 EC

Aniello Esposito-Pomigliano D'Arco
(NA)

Balice- Valenzano (BA)

Bertolino-Partinico (PA)

Bonollo-Paduni (FR)

Caviro-Faenza (RA)

Cipriani-Chizzola di Ala

D'Auria-Ortona (CH)

Di Lorenzo-Pontevalleceppi (PG)

Dister-Faenza (RA)

Enodistil-Alcamo (TP)

Gedis-Marsala (TP)

Mazzari-S. Agata Sul Santerno (RA)

Neri-Faenza (RA)

S.V.A.-Ortona (CH)

S.V.M.-Sciacca (AG)

Trapas-Petrosino (TP)

ITALY
Lot No 21/2003 EC

De Luca-Novoli

Bonollo-Paduni

Cipriani-Chizzola di Ala (TN)

Total

Total

24 446

25 554

50 000

24 444

24 771

12 259

28 526

90 000

2 800

8 100

10 800

10 600

1 600

2 500

10 000

17 600

4 800

5 400

8 600

4 600

1 900

3 400

1 100

6 200

100 000

3 600

4 400

2 000

10 000

27

27

27

27

27

27

30

27 + 35

30

27

27

27 + 35

27

27 + 35

27

27

27 + 30

27

27 + 35

27 + 30

27

30

27 + 35

27

27

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

raw

Firms approved
under Article 92
of Regulation (EC)
No 1623/2000

Ecocarburantes
españoles SA

Bioetanol Galicia
SA

Sekab
Etanolkemi AB)

(Svensk

Altia Corporation

II. The address of the Spanish intervention agency is:

FEGA, Beneficencia 8, E-28004 Madrid (Tel. (34) 913 47 65 00; Telex: 23427 FEGA; Fax: (34) 915 21 98 32).

III. The address of the Italian intervention agency is:

AGEA, via Palestro 81, I-00185 Roma (Tel. (39-06) 494 99 91; Telex: 62 00 64/62 06 17/62 03 31; Fax: (39-06)
445 39 40/445 46 93).