COMMISSION REGULATION (EEC) No 2093/93 of 28 July 1993 fixing the buying-in prices, aids and certain other amounts applicable for the 1993/94 wine year to intervention measures in the wine sector

COMMISSION REGULATION (EEC) No 2093/93 of 28 July 1993 fixing the buying-in prices, aids and certain other amounts applicable for the 1993/94 wine year to intervention measures in the wine sector
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN  COMMUNITIES
,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community,
Having regard to the Act of Accession of Spain and Portugal, and in particular Article 257 (1) thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 822/87 of 16 March 1987 on the common organization of the market in wine (1), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 1566/93 (2), and in particular Articles 35 (8), 36 (6), 38 (5), 41 (10), 44, 45 (9) and 46  (5) thereof,
Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 3813/92 of 28 December 1992 on the unit of account and the conversion rates to be applied for the purposes of the common agricultural policy (3), and in particular Article 12 thereof,
Whereas Article 9 of Regulation (EEC) No 3813/92 provides for a reduction in prices fixed in ecus at the commencement of the marketing year following a monetary realignment; whereas, in order to apply that reduction, which is equal to 25 % of the  percentage change in the correcting factor referred to in Article 1 (c) of that Regulation, the reducing coefficient provided for in Commission Regulation (EEC) No 537/93 (4), as amended by Regulation (EEC) No 1331/93 (5), should be applied;
Whereas Council Regulation (EEC) No 1569/93 (6) fixes the guide prices for wine for the 1993/94, wine year; whereas the prices, aids and other amounts for the various intervention measures to be adopted for that wine year should accordingly be fixed on  that basis;
Whereas this Regulation applies to Portugal; whereas, however, since wine-growing zones have not been delimited in that country, the oenological practices authorized in accordance with the rules laid down under Title II of Regulation (EEC) No 822/87  should be defined;
Whereas, since enrichment is an exceptional practice, the same reduction in the buying-in price for wine provided for in Article 44 of Regulation (EEC) No 822/87 and laid down in Annex VIII should be applied as in wine-growing zone C; whereas, in  accordance with Article 341 of the Act of Accession of Spain and Portugal the derogations in force for 'vinho verde' should be extended;
Whereas the aid for the use in wine-making of concentrated grape must and rectified concentrated grape must as provided for in Article 45 (1) of Regulation (EEC) No 822/87 must be fixed taking into account the difference between the cost of enrichment  achieved using concentrated grape must and using sucrose; whereas, in the light of the data available to the Commission, the amount of the aid should be varied with the product used for enrichment;
Whereas distillers may, in accordance with Articles 35 (6) and 36 (4) of Regulation (EEC) No 822/87, either receive aid for the product to be distilled or deliver the product obtained from distillation to the intervention agency; whereas the amount of  the aid must be fixed on the basis of the criteria laid down in Article 16 of Regulation (EEC) No 2046/89 (7), as amended by Regulation (EEC) No 1567/93 (8);
Whereas the price of wine to be distilled under Articles 38 and 41 of Regulation (EEC) No 822/87 does not normally allow the marketing at market prices of products obtained from distillation; whereas provision must thereofre be made for aid, the amount  of which is to be fixed on the basis of the criteria laid down in Article 8 of Regulation (EEC) No 2046/89, account also being taken of the present uncertainty of prices on the market for distillation products;
Whereas some wine delivered for one of the distillation operations may be processed into wine fortified of distillation; whereas the amounts applicable to distillation in accordance with the rules laid down in Article 26 of Regulation (EEC) No 2046/89  should be adjusted accordingly;
Whereas experience gained in sales by invitation to tender of alcohol held by intervention agencies shows that the difference between prices which may be obtained for neutral spirits and raw alcohol does not justify the takeover of the former; whereas,  moreover, quantities of neutral spirits currently available are sufficient to satisfy, at least for one wine year, any demand for that product; whereas under these circumstances the possibility provided for in Articles 35, 36 and 39 of Regulation (EEC)  No 822/87 should be used by producing for the buying-in of all alcohol at the price for raw alcohol;
Whereas Article 4 of Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3105/88 (9), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 3186/92 (10), laying down detailed rules for the application of cumpulsory distillation as provided for in Articles 35 and 36 of Regulation (EEC) No  822/87 sets a standard natural alcohol strength by volume to be applied in the various wine-growing zones for the purpose of determining the volume of alcohol to be delivered for distillation under Article 35 of Regulation (EEC) No 822/87; whereas it  has not been possible to fix this standard natural alcoholic strength in Portugual because the wine-growing zones in that country have not yet been delimited; whereas, therefore, a provisional standard natural alcohol strength should be fixed;
Whereas Article 46 (3) of Regulation (EEC) No 822/87 lays down criteria for fixing the aid provided for in that Article; whereas, as regards the aid for the use of grapes, grape must and concentrated grape must for the manufacture of grape juice,  paragraph 4 of that Article stipulates that a part of the aid should be set aside for the organization of campaigns to promote the consumption of grape juice and whereas the aid may be increased to that end; whereas, having regard to the criteria laid  down and ot the need to finance those campaigns, the aid shoud be fixed at a level permitting sufficient quantities to be obtained for the effective promotion of the product;
Whereas the reduction in the buying-in price for wine provided for in Article 44 of Regulation (EEC) No 822/87 depends on the average increase in the natural alcoholic strength in each wine-growing zone; whereas experience shows that that increase  corresponds on average to half the maximum increase authorized; whereas the reduction in the buying-in price must accordingly correspond to the added alcoholic strength as a percentage of the alcoholic strength of wine delivered for distillation;
Whereas Commission Regulation (EEC) No 3800/81 of 16 December 1981 determing the classification of vine varieties (11), as last amended by Regulation (EEC) No 3369/91 (12), establishes the list of vine varieties recommended and authorized in Portugal;  whereas, in assessing the production of wine in Portugal, reference should be made to those vine varieties;
Whereas the measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Wine,