FOLLOWED FOR SEVERAL YEARS , PROPOSED TO LIMIT , BY MEANS OF SELF-RESTRAINT AGREEMENTS , THE IMPORTS OF TABLE WINES FROM ITALY TO A VOLUME WHICH IT CONSIDERED TO BE ACCEPTABLE AND WHICH WAS ASSESSED AT 425 000 HECTOLITRES PER MONTH . THE QUESTION WHETHER AND IF SO TO WHAT EXTENT THE FRENCH MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE TOOK PART IN AND GAVE HIS SUPPORT TO SUCH PROPOSALS REMAINS THE SUBJECT OF DISPUTE BETWEEN THE PARTIES .
9 FROM THE MIDDLE OF AUGUST 1981 THE FRENCH AUTHORITIES INTENSIFIED THE MEASURES THEY TOOK TO CHECK THE IMPORTS OF ITALIAN TABLE WINES . ON THE ONE HAND , THEY REFUSED TO ACCEPT A LARGE NUMBER OF THE ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTS WHICH RELATED TO THE TRANSPORTATION OF THE WINES IN QUESTION AND , ON THE OTHER HAND , THEY SYSTEMATICALLY SUBJECTED THE WINE TO HEALTH AND OENOLOGICAL CHECKS BY MEANS OF ANALYSIS BEFORE RELEASING THE CONSIGNMENTS IN QUESTION FOR CONSUMPTION . THE CONSEQUENCE OF THOSE PRACTICES WAS THAT CONSIDERABLE QUANTITIES OF TABLE WINES WERE HELD UP AT THE FRONTIER .
10 IN VIEW OF THOSE PRACTICES THE COMMISSION COMMENCED TWO SETS OF PROCEEDINGS FOR FAILURE BY A STATE TO FULFIL ITS OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE EEC TREATY , IN THE COURSE OF WHICH IT SENT TWO REASONED OPINIONS TO THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT .
11 IN THE FIRST REASONED OPINION OF 2 OCTOBER 1981 THE COMMISSION CLAIMED THAT THE FRENCH REPUBLIC HAD FAILED TO FULFIL ITS OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE COMMUNITY RULES APPLICABLE TO THE WINE SECTOR AND UNDER ARTICLE 30 OF THE TREATY BY HAVING FAILED TO INITIATE SPEEDILY THE PROCESS OF REGULARIZING CARRIAGE OPERATIONS RELATING TO A CERTAIN NUMBER OF CONSIGNMENTS BY SUBJECTING , IN MANY CASES , REGULARIZATION TO THE TRANSMISSION BY THE ITALIAN AUTHORITIES OF THE DOCUMENTS AND OTHER EVIDENCE ON WHICH THEY BASED THEIR CERTIFICATES , AND BY DELAYING CUSTOMS CLEARANCE EVEN IN THOSE CASES WHERE THE OPERATIONS HAD BEEN REGULARIZED .
12 IN THE SECOND REASONED OPINION OF 9 OCTOBER 1981 THE COMMISSION CLAIMED THAT SUBJECTING ITALIAN TABLE WINES TO CUSTOMS CLEARANCE OPERATIONS OF A FAR GREATER DURATION THAN THE TIME NEEDED FOR THE COMPLETION OF PERMISSIBLE MATERIAL OPERATIONS AND MAKING RELEASE TO THE MARKET SUBJECT TO A SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS CONSTITUTED A MEASURE HAVING AN EFFECT EQUIVALENT TO A QUANTITATIVE RESTRICTION ON IMPORTS , PROHIBITED BY ARTICLE 30 OF THE EEC TREATY , AND A FAILURE BY THE FRENCH REPUBLIC TO FULFIL ITS OBLIGATIONS UNDER COUNCIL REGULATION NO 337/79 .
13 THE CONSIGNMENTS WHICH HAD BEEN HELD UP WERE ONLY RELEASED GRADUALLY , UP TO THE END OF THE YEAR , BY THE FRENCH AUTHORITIES UNDER AN ARRANGEMENT MADE AT PISA ON 13 OCTOBER 1981 WITH THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT . THAT ARRANGEMENT PROVIDED , AMONGST OTHER THINGS , FOR THE RELEASE , WITHIN TWO MONTHS , OF THE DETAINED WINE AND FOR AN APPROACH BY THE TWO GOVERNMENTS CONCERNED TO THE COMMISSION FOR THE RELEASE TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY COMMUNITY AIDS FOR STORAGE CONTRACTS . PARALLEL TO THAT RELEASE , ACCORDING TO THE