Commission Regulation (EC) No 1232/2001 of 22 June 2001 opening crisis distillation as provided for in Article 30 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 for table wine in Italy

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1232/2001
of 22 June 2001
opening crisis distillation as provided for in Article 30 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 for table wine in Italy
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 of 17 May 1999 on the common organisation of the market in wine(1), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2826/2000(2), and in particular Articles 30 and 33 thereof,
Whereas:
(1) Article 30 of Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 provides for the possibility of opening crisis distillation in the event of exceptional market disturbance caused by major surpluses. Such measures may be limited to certain categories of wine and/or certain areas of production and may apply to quality wines psr at the request of the Member State.
(2) The Italian Government has requested that crisis distillation be opened for table wine produced in Italy.
(3) Large stocks of table wine have built up following high output of table wine in Italy during the 1998/99 and 1999/2000 wine years (44 million hl and 45 million hl respectively). Stocks stood at 16,7 million hl at the start of the 1998/99 wine year and climbed to 19,5 million hl in early 2000/01.
(4) In addition to this factor there are changes in external trade. Imports of table wine have risen as a result of bumper harvests in certain other Member States during the current wine year.
(5) This situation has had a negative impact on prices, which have fallen by about 2 % to 8 % on average during the current wine year as compared with the same period of the previous year. In addition the price variation is unevenly spread over the regions, and in some regions prices are below the average.
(6) Since the conditions laid down in Article 30(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 are still satisfied, a further crisis distillation measure should be opened for a maximum of 2 million hl of table wine. The measure should apply for a limited period with a view to maximum effectiveness. No ceiling should be set on the quantity that individual producers can have distilled because stocks may vary substantially from one producer to another and depend more on sales than on the individual producer's annual output.
(7) The mechanism to be introduced is that provided for in 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(3), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 545/2001(4). In addition to the Articles of that Regulation referring to the distillation measure provided for in Article 30 of Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999, other provisions of Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000 apply, in particular those concerning the delivery of alcohol to intervention agencies and the payment of advances.
(8) The price distillers must pay producers should be set at a level that permits the problems faced to be solved by allowing producers to take advantage of possibilities afforded by this measure. That price should not, however, be such that it adversely affects the application of the distillation measure provided for in Article 29 of Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999.
(9) The product of crisis distillation must be raw or neutral alcohol for compulsory delivery to the intervention agency in order to avoid disturbing the market for potable alcohol, which is supplied largely by distillation under Article 29 of Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999.
(10) The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Wine,