Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the "Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 2596/97 extending the period provided for in Article 149(1) of the Act of Accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden" (COM(2003) 372 final — 2003/0144 (CNS))
Date: 2003-09-24
Institutions: European Economic and Social Committee
Subjects: food standard, human nutrition, marketing standard, milk fat, product quality

14.1.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 10/87

Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the ‘Proposal for a Council
Regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 2596/97 extending the period provided for in Article
149(1) of the Act of Accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden’

(COM(2003) 372 final — 2003/0144 (CNS))

(2004/C 10/18)

On 16 July 2003 the Council, in accordance with Article 262 of the Treaty establishing the European
Community, decided to consult the European Economic and Social Committee on the above-mentioned
proposal.

The Bureau instructed the Section for Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment to draw up
an opinion on the subject.

In view of the urgency of the work, at its 402nd plenary session on 24 and 25 September 2003 (meeting
of 24 September), the European Economic and Social Committee appointed Mr Staffan Nilsson as
rapporteur-general and adopted the following opinion by 89 votes to 2, with 1 abstention.

1. Background

1.1.
The transitional arrangements provided for in the Act
of Accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden granted a
derogation from the Council Regulation on the harmonisation
of the fat content of milk (EC No 2596/97) (1). After being
extended, the derogation is set to expire on 31 December
2003 (EC No 2703/1999) (2).

Finland and Sweden were invited to report

1.2.
the
measures taken to conform to Community rules. The Com-
mission examines these in its report ‘on certain aspects of the
markets for preserved milks and drinking milks’, published
together with the proposal to amend the Regulation.

2. The Commission proposal

The Commission notes that,

in some respects, fat
2.1.
content requirements continue to create difficulties for Finland
and Sweden. It therefore proposes that the derogation enabling
Austria, Finland and Sweden to diverge from Community rules
on fat content of milk should be further extended to 30 April
2009.

(1) OJ L 351, 23.12.1997 p. 12.
(2) OJ L 327, 21.12.1999, p. 11.

Brussels, 24 September 2003.

2.2.
The Commission also reports that six new Member
States (Cyprus, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Poland)
have been granted the same derogation until 30 April 2009.

2.3.
The Commission states its intention to prepare a report
on the market for drinking milk, possibly accompanied by
proposals to harmonise the rules, by 2007.

3. EESC comments

The EESC endorses the proposal to extend the dero-

3.1.
gation.

Both Finland and Sweden market a few drinking milk
3.2.
products with a lower fat content. A significant number of
consumers remain opposed to the imposition of a fat content
increase for these products.

3.3.
Given that the derogation has been extended and that
six new Member States are in the same situation, it is important
that the Commission’s 2007 report should carefully assess the
issue of harmonising the fat content of milk on the market.
The point of departure should be the interests and wishes of
consumers, and whether these are best protected through
harmonisation of permitted fat content or through harmonised
fat content labelling.

The President

of the European Economic and Social Committee

Roger BRIESCH