WRITTEN QUESTION E-1069/04 by Nicole Thomas-Mauro (UEN) to the Commission. Inconsistency of the Commission's position on wine.
Date: 2004-04-06
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU financing, alcoholism, consumer information, labelling, sales promotion, wine

C 88 E/564

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

Combating the sexual exploitation of children and child pornography and ensuring the respect of
fundamental human rights is a priority for the Commission. The Commission believes that the current
legislative measures in these fields, together with the continuous efforts in promoting a safer use of the
Internet and to combating illegal and harmful content on the Internet, are contributing substantially to
reaching these objectives.

(1) OJ L 33, 6.2.1999.
(2) Council Framework Decision 2004/68/JHA of 22 December 2003 on combating the sexual exploitation of children

and child pornography, OJ L 13, 20.1.2004.

(3) OJ L 270, 7.10.1998.
(4) OJ L 138, 9.6.2000.

(2004/C 88 E/0575)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1069/04

by Nicole Thomas-Mauro (UEN) to the Commission

Subject: Inconsistency of the Commission’s position on wine

(6 April 2004)

In late March, the Commission approved a series of campaigns designed to provide information about, and
to promote consumption of, agricultural products in third countries. The products concerned are wine,
fruit, olive oil, cheese and organic produce.

The Member States submitted to the Commission, for consideration, six promotion and information
programmes. The five programmes accepted are aimed at the United States, Canada, Japan, Switzerland,
Russia, Brazil and China.

The contribution from the European Union budget is estimated at about EUR 3 million (50 % of the cost of
the programmes).

However, the Commission is proposing to apply rules governing nutritional and health claims made on
food in order to exclude any promotional campaigns for wine.

On the one hand,
to encourage the
the Commission is using appropriations from the EU budget
promotion of wine, an agricultural product, in third countries (in order to boost the sector). On the other
hand, however, in its proposal for a regulation (1), it precludes any promotion of a moderate consumption
of wine on the territory of the European Union, although it has been scientifically proved that such
consumption forms a beneficial part of the Mediterranean diet.

Can the Commission justify the inconsistency between its campaign to promote the consumption of wine
outside the EU and its campaign to prohibit such consumption inside the EU?

Since the Commission has claimed for itself sole power to undertake ‘good’ promotion campaigns, could it
not, within the established regulatory framework, of course, allow wine producers to promote their wares?

(1) COM(2003) 424 final.

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(30 April 2004)

The Commission in its Proposal for a Regulation on the use of nutrition and health claims made on

1.
foods has not proposed a ban on all promotion of wine, nor of any other food or drink.

However, the Commission is of the opinion that alcoholic beverages should not be promoted and
advertised on the basis of any nutritional and health benefits they may have, as the over-consumption of
these products leads to well-known serious health and social problems which the Commission is actually
trying to fight. In the Council Conclusions of 5 June 2001 on a Community strategy to reduce alcohol

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/565

related harm (1) it is emphasised that alcohol is one of the key health determinants in the Community and
that scientific work has clearly shown that high consumption of alcohol in the population substantially
increases the risk of alcohol-related morbidity and of all-cause mortality. Furthermore, there is concern
about the way in which alcoholic beverages are designed and promoted to appeal in particular to children
and adolescents.

Therefore, the Commission deems it appropriate to envisage the prohibition of nutrition and health claims
in the labelling, presentation and advertising of alcoholic beverages. The promotion of wine, and of any
other alcoholic beverage, under any other aspect but that of its possible nutrition and health benefits is in
no way banned or limited by the Proposal for a Regulation on the use of nutrition and health claims made
on food.

In the framework of the EU regime on information and promotion actions for agricultural products
2.
and foodstuffs on both the internal market and in third countries, covered by Council Regulations (EC)
No 2826/2000 of 19 December 2000 (2) and (EC) No 2702/1999 of 14 December 1999 (3) respectively,
the EU currently co-finances several programmes set up by relevant professional or inter-professional
organisations for certain wine categories, and not only in third countries but also on the internal EU
market. In particular, for the internal market, the EU has co-financed, in the period 2001-2003, eight
programmes in the wine sector for a total amount of EUR 5,2 million.

(1) OJ C 175, 20.6.2001.
(2) OJ L 328, 23.12.2000.
(3) OJ L 327, 21.12.1999.

(2004/C 88 E/0576)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1073/04

by Proinsias De Rossa (PSE) to the Commission

(6 April 2004)

Subject: Architectural quality in urban and rural environments

What follow-up has there been to the resolution agreed at the 23 November 2000 meeting of the Culture
Council on ‘Architectural quality in urban and rural environments’? What initiatives has the Commission
taken or is it considering on this issue since this resolution was agreed, specifically in relation to the call to
it to seek ways and means of ensuring in the application of the Structural Funds a ‘wider consideration of
architectural quality and the conservation of cultural heritage’?

Answer given by Mr Fischler on behalf of the Commission

(30 April 2004)

Projects in the field of culture, including those relating to the architectural quality of the built environment,
have feature prominently in the regional development programmes supported by the European Union
under the Structural Funds. In order to understand better the nature of interventions in this field the
Commission undertook a specific study involving a wide ranging questionnaire which was sent to the
Member States. The results of this investigation are available in the form of a working document of the
Commission services, on the internet:
(http://europa.eu.int/comm/culture/eac/sources_info/compolitics/
fond_structurel_en.html).