Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin
Date: 2003-12-13
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Friuli-Venezia Giulia, designation of origin, labelling, location of production, olive oil, product designation, product quality

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Regulation (EEC) No
2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin

(2003/C 303/02)

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Articles 7 and 12d of the
abovementioned Regulation. Any objection to this application must be submitted via the competent
authority in a Member State, in a WTO member country or in a third country recognised in accordance
with Article 12(3) within a time limit of six months from the date of this publication. The arguments for
publication are set out below, in particular under 4.6, and are considered to justify the application within
the meaning of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92.

COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2081/92

APPLICATION FOR REGISTRATION: ARTICLE 5

PDO (x)

PGI (

)

National application No: 6/2002

1. Responsible department in the Member State

Name: Ministero delle Politiche agricole e forestali

Address: Via XX Settembre, 20 — I-00187 Roma

Tel.

Fax

(39-06) 481 99 68

(39-06) 42 01 31 26

E-mail:

qualita@politicheagricole.it

2. Applicant group

2.1. Name:

Comitato Promotore della Valorizzazione dell'olio extra di oliva di Trieste

2.2. Address: c/o CCIAA, Piazza della Borsa, 14 — I-34100 Trieste

2.3. Composition: producer/processor (x)

other (

)

3. Type of product: Class 1.5, Extra virgin olive oil

4. Specification

(summary of requirements under Article 4(2))

4.1. Name: ‘Tergeste’

4.2. Description: extra virgin olive oil with the following chemical and organoleptic characteristics:

— maximum acidity: 0,5 %

— panel test score ‡ 6,8 with the following sensory parameters: fruttato verde (smell, flavour, etc.

reminiscent of green olives) ‡ 2, bitter/spicy flavour ‡ 1

— peroxides £ 12 mEqO2/kg

— polyphenols ‡ 100 mg/kg

— colour: gold to green

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— smell: medium fruity

— flavour: fruity, with a medium or slight spiciness

— oleic acid ‡ 74 %

— linoleic acid £ 9 %

— Delta K £ 0,01

— K270 £ 0,20

— K230 £ 2,30

4.3. Geographical area: The area of production of Tergeste PDO comprises the entire administrative
territory of the province of Trieste,
i.e. the municipalities of Muggia/Milje, San Dorligo della
Valle/Dolina, Trieste/Trst, Duino-Aurisina/Devin-Nabrezˇina, Sgonico/Zgonik and Monrupino/
Repentabor. The area is bounded to the North and East by the border with Slovenia, to the
West by the province of Gorizia and to the South by the Adriatic Coast. The boundaries of the
area of production are laid down in the rules governing production.

4.4. Proof of origin: The origin of Tergeste/Tergestum, the ancient name of the city of Trieste, is not
known with any certainty but is said to derive from terg, the Illyrian word for market. While
Augustus may or may not have founded the colony of Tergeste, it is generally agreed that he
ordered the building of the city walls. The claim that the presence of olive trees in Trieste and
Istria predates the arrival of the Ancient Romans is consistent with the writings of Martial, Pliny
and Strabo on the quality of the oil produced in the area. Phoenician settlers (the Phoceans
founders of Marseilles) and the Ancient Greeks (in all probability Syracusans) almost certainly
preceded the Ancient Romans and introduced, together with olive-growing, the relevant technical
and agronomic expertise.

Olive-growing has, since the days of the Roman Empire, been present throughout the eastern
Adriatic from the Quarnero islands in Istria to the North to a crescent-shaped area of chalky land
leading to the Adriatic. This land — part of the PDO area — and its sandy and marly hinterland,
contain the earliest references to olive-growing in the area covered by the present administrative
region. When they discovered that the area and climate naturally lent themselves to olive-growing,
the Ancient Romans expanded production and equipped each farm with its own olive oil press.
The discovery of various items of olive oil-related equipment — in particular at San Dorligo della
Valle — in housing dating back to Ancient Roman times bears witness to the farming use to
which the area was put at the time. A number of authors, including Martial and Pliny, praised the
oil produced locally. Olive-growing declined with the Roman Empire and did not recover until the
Byzantine and later the Frankish era, when it once again became a mainstay of local farming, so
much so that at one stage tithes could in some cases be paid in oil, as evidenced by a variety of
historical documents. Over the centuries, olive-growing continued to be practised by the local
population, and the link with the land is extensively documented, in particular in the form of
contracts between owners and tenants providing for the planting of olive trees, bequests of olive
oil, and municipal regulations governing presses and the size of olives. From the beginning of the
20th century until the severe frost recorded in 1929, olive-growing in the region underwent no
significant change. From then on, however, there was little investment in this form of cultivation
because of a combination of factors related to the restructuring of the local economy and a switch
to industry. It was only thanks to the obstinacy of a few growers that some of the area's olive-
growing heritage — based on local varieties — was preserved.

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Production, first processing and bottling take place within the area of production. Bottling too
takes place there because of the need to safeguard the special characteristics and the quality of
Tergeste oil, since it ensures that the checks carried out by the inspection body can take place
under the supervision of the producers concerned. The PDO is of special importance to the latter,
providing, in line with the objectives of the Regulation, an opportunity to supplement incomes. In
addition, bottling has traditionally been carried out in the geographical area.

The olives come from groves situated in the designated area, the various groves being entered by
growers in a special register. Oil extraction, preparation and bottling take place, within the
designated area, using suitable facilities also entered in a special register.

The inspection body checks that the technical requirements for entry in the register and the
industry-wide requirements aimed at ensuring the traceability of
the product have been
complied with.

4.5. Method of production: Tergeste olive oil is made from olives belonging to the Belica or Biancheria
varieties, which must account for 20 % or more of the olive trees present in the grove, with one or
more of the following accounting for the balance: Carbona, Leccino, Leccio del Corno, Frantoio,
Maurino and Pendolino. Harvesting begins when the olives darken, but does not extend beyond 31
December of the year concerned. The olives are picked — by hand or mechanically — direct from
the tree and are kept in rigid aerated containers for up to three days until pressing takes place. Pest
control must be of the integrated/biological type. Traditional cultivation techniques are used in
groves which are in production.

Olive production may not exceed 65 quintals per hectare in specialised groves and 50 kg per tree
where olive-growing is combined with other forms of production. The oil yield may not exceed
22 %.

Tergeste extra virgin olive oil is extracted, using mechanical and physical means only, in such a
way as to preserve as much as possible the characteristics of
the olives. The following
requirements must be satisfied during first-processing: the temperature of the paste must not
exceed 30 °C; only water may be used during the kneading phase; the equipment used must
not shed material or affect the flavour or smell of the product; the oil must be produced
within 36 hours of delivery of the olives to the mill and, prior to pressing, the rooms in
which the olives are kept must be kept suitably aerated.

4.6. Link: The presence of olive-growing in the area concerned is conditioned by a variety of environ-
mental and agronomic factors. The climate is mild — thanks to the proximity of the sea — but
not excessively humid, thus encouraging yields. The fresh and well-drained land, typical of red soils
and chalky rocks, guarantees continuous growth of new vegetation. Olive-growing in Trieste
survived even after the severe frosts recorded in 1929 and 1956, when temperatures of – 8 °C
and – 12 °C resulted in a sharp reduction in the number of trees. The characteristics of the product
and the strong attachment local farmers have shown to olive-growing led to new groves being
planted. Olive trees — in particular Biancheria, a highly rustic local variety which can withstand
winds blowing in from the sea, the cold and vigorous pruning — are now a well-established
feature of the coastal terraces and the neighbouring hills of Muggia and San Dorligo. As long ago
as the 19th century, authors (among them Pietro Devitak) described the variety, noting that, on
account of its exceptional smoothness, olive oil from Trieste had been sent as a gift to Empress
Maria Theresa of Austria.

There is a well-established tradition of olive-growing in the designated area, with much of the
know-how and techniques — relating to cultivation, harvesting, pressing, oil storage — being
handed down from generation to generation through folk-tales, custom, sayings and recipes.

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4.7. Inspection body

Name:

Camera di Commercio, Industria, Artigianato e Agricoltura di Trieste.

Address: Piazza della Borsa, 14 — I-34100 Trieste.

4.8. Labelling: Olio extra vergine di oliva ‘Tergeste’, Denominazione di Origine Protetta.

The designation must appear on the label in clear, legible and indelible characters — the colour of
which must contrast sufficiently with that used for the background — and must be clearly distinct
from the rest of the information on the label.

The capacity of the containers in which the product is released for consumption must not exceed
one litre. Containers made of plastic or resin are not allowed.

The year of production of the olives used to produce the oil must appear on the label. On the
label, the protected designation of origin may be followed, immediately afterwards, by a literal
translation of the designation into Slovenian.

4.9. National requirements: —

EC No: IT/00256/2002.10.21.

Date of receipt of the full application: 21 October 2002.

Non-opposition to a notified concentration

(Case COMP/M.3301 — Royal Bank of Scotland Group/First Active plc)

(2003/C 303/03)

(Text with EEA relevance)

On 3 December 2003, the Commission decided not to oppose the above notified concentration and to
declare it compatible with the common market. This decision is based on Article 6(1)(b) of Council
Regulation (EEC) No 4064/89. The full text of the decision is only available in English and will be
made public after it is cleared of any business secrets it may contain. It will be available:

— as a paper version through the sales offices of the Office for Official Publications of the European

Communities (see list on the last page),

— in electronic form in the ‘CEN’ version of the CELEX database, under document No 303M3301. CELEX

is the computerised documentation system of European Community law.

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