Commission Regulation (EC) No 944/2006 of  26 June 2006  opening crisis distillation as provided for in Article 30 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 for certain wine in Italy
Date: 2006-06-27
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Italy, agricultural surplus, common organisation of markets, distillation, table wine, viticulture

L 173/10

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

27.6.2006

COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 944/2006

of 26 June 2006

opening crisis distillation as provided for in Article 30 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 for
certain wine in Italy

THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,

(5)

Having regard to the Treaty
Community,

establishing the European

Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 of 17
in
May 1999 on the common organisation of
wine (1), and in particular Article 33(1)(f) thereof,

the market

Whereas:

Article 30 of Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 provides
for the possibility of a crisis distillation measure in the
event of exceptional market disturbance due to major
surpluses. Such measures may be limited to certain cate-
gories of wine and/or certain areas of production, and
may apply to quality wines produced in specified regions
(quality wines psr) at the request of the Member State
concerned.

The crisis distillation opened by this Regulation must
comply with the conditions laid down by 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 (2) as regards
the distillation measure provided for in Article 30 of
Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999. Other provisions of
Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000 must also apply,
in
particular those concerning the delivery of alcohol to
intervention agencies and the payment of advances.

(6)

(7)

The price distillers must pay producers should be set at a
level that permits the market disturbance to be dealt with
by allowing producers to take advantage of the possi-
bility afforded by this measure.

The product of crisis distillation must be raw or neutral
alcohol only, for compulsory delivery to the intervention
agency in order to avoid disturbing the market
for
potable alcohol, which is supplied largely by the distil-
lation provided for in Article 29 of Regulation (EC) No
1493/1999.

(8)

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

the Italian Government
By letter of 14 April 2006,
requested that crisis distillation be opened for
table
wine produced in Italy and for certain quality wines psr.

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Considerable surpluses have been recorded on the market
in table wine and certain quality wines psr in Italy, which
are reflected in a fall
in prices and a worrying rise in
stocks towards the end of the current marketing year. In
order to reverse this negative trend, and so remedy the
difficult market situation, stocks of Italian wine should be
reduced to a level that can be regarded as normal
in
terms of covering market requirements.

Crisis distillation as provided for in Article 30 of Regulation
(EC) No 1493/1999 is hereby opened for a maximum of
2 500 000 hectolitres of table wine and 100 000 hectolitres
of quality wines produced in specified regions (quality wines
psr) with the appellations Barbera d’Asti, Barbera Monferrato,
Piemonte Barbera, Dolcetto d’Ovada, Dolcetto d’Acqui, Dolcetto
d’Asti, Monferrato Dolcetto, Grignolino d’Asti and Piemonte
Grignolino,
in accordance with the provisions of Regulation
(EC) No 1623/2000 concerning this type of distillation.

Since the conditions laid down in Article 30(5) of Regu-
lation (EC) No 1493/1999 are satisfied, a crisis distil-
lation measure should be opened for a maximum of
2 500 000 hectolitres of table wine and 100 000 hecto-
litres of certain quality wines psr.

Producers may conclude contracts as provided for in Article 65
of Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000 (hereinafter referred to as
contracts) from 3 July 2006 to 24 July 2006 in the case of
table wine and from 3 July 2006 to 14 July 2006 in the case of
quality wines psr.

Article 2

(1) OJ L 179, 14.7.1999, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regu-

(2) OJ L 194, 31.7.2000, p. 45. Regulation as last amended by Regu-

lation (EC) No 2165/2005 (OJ L 345, 28.12.2005, p. 1).

lation (EC) No 1820/2005 (OJ L 293, 9.11.2005, p. 8).

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

27.6.2006

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Official Journal of the European Union

L 173/11

Contracts shall be accompanied by proof that a security equal
to EUR 5 per hectolitre has been lodged.

The security shall be released in proportion to the quan-
2.
tities delivered when the producer presents proof of delivery to
a distillery.

Contracts may not be transferred.

Article 3

If the total quantities covered by the contracts submitted
1.
to the intervention agency exceed the quantities laid down in
Article 1,
Italy shall determine the rates of reduction to be
applied to those contracts.

Italy shall

2.
take the administrative steps necessary to
approve the contracts not later than 13 September 2006 in
the case of
table wine and 28 July 2006 in the case of
quality wines psr. The approval shall specify any rate of
reduction applied and the quantity of wine accepted per
contract and shall stipulate that the producer may cancel the
contract where the quantity to be distilled is reduced.

Italy shall notify the Commission before 20 September 2006 in
the case of table wine and 25 August 2006 in the case of
quality wines psr of
the quantities of wine covered by
approved contracts.

Italy may limit the number of contracts that individual

3.
producers may conclude under this Regulation.

Article 4

1.
The quantities of wine covered by approved contracts
shall be delivered to the distilleries not
than 15
later
table wine and 31 August
December 2006 in the case of
2006 in the case of quality wines psr. The alcohol obtained
shall be delivered to the intervention agency in accordance with
Article 6(1) not later than 31 March 2007 in the case of table
wine and 30 September 2006 in the case of quality wines psr.

The security shall be forfeit where no delivery is made within
the time limit laid down in paragraph 1.

Article 5

The minimum price paid for wine delivered for distillation
under this Regulation shall be EUR 1,914/% vol/hl for table
wine and EUR 3,00/% vol/hl for quality wines psr.

Article 6

1.
Distillers shall deliver the product obtained from distil-
lation to the intervention agency. That product shall be of an
alcoholic strength of at least 92 % vol.

the

The price to be paid to the distiller by the inter-
2.
raw alcohol delivered shall be
vention agency for
is produced from table wine
EUR 2,281/% vol/hl where it
and EUR 3,367/% vol/hl where it is produced from quality
wines psr. The payment shall be made in accordance with
Article 62(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000.

Distillers may receive an advance on those amounts of
in the case of alcohol produced from
EUR 1,122/% vol/hl
table wine and EUR 2,208/% vol/hl
in the case of alcohol
produced from quality wines psr.
In that case the advances
shall be deducted from the prices actually paid. Articles 66
and 67 of Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000 shall apply.

Article 7

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following its
publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

It shall apply from 3 July 2006.

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

Done at Brussels, 26 June 2006.

For the Commission

Mariann FISCHER BOEL
Member of the Commission