Commission Regulation (EC) No 1429/2004 of 9 August 2004 amending Regulation (EC) No 753/2002 laying down certain rules for applying Council Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 as regards the description, designation, presentation and protection of certain wine sector products

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), and in particular Article 53 thereof,

Whereas:

(1) Certain amendments need to be made to Commission Regulation (EC) No 753/2002(2) on account of the accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia (hereinafter referred to as the new Member States) to the European Union.

(2) With the Accession, it has become clear that the border of a wine-growing region is not necessarily within the border of one Member State and that traditional expressions can have a trans-border character. It is therefore necessary to modify the provision on traditional expressions in order to allow for the use under specific conditions of certain traditional expressions by two or more Member States.

(3) Article 28 of Regulation (EC) No 753/2002 provides for rules specific to table wines with a geographical indication, and lists the traditional terms used in the different regions of the Member States to describe such wines. This list has to be adapted by the appropriate terms used by the new Member States.

(4) The lists of the traditional specific terms and of the additional traditional terms have to be adapted by the appropriate terms used by the new Member States.

(5) Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 753/2002 lists vine varieties and their synonyms that include a geographical indication and that may appear on the labelling of wines. This Annex has to be adapted by the appropriate terms that have been used by the new Member States at the date of application of this Regulation.

(6) Regulation (EC) No 753/2002 should be amended accordingly.

(7) For reasons of control and in order to provide for the application of the amendments to Regulation (EC) No 753/2002 as from the date of entry into force of the Treaty of Accession of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia, this Regulation should apply as from 1 May 2004 .

(8) In order to facilitate the transition from the wine labelling regime that existed in the new Member States before the accession to the Community rules on wine labelling, it is necessary to allow economic operators to use labels and pre-packaging material printed in conformity with the previous national provisions.

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

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Regulation (EC) No 753/2002 is amended as follows:

1. in paragraph 5 of Article 24, the following subparagraph is added:

«A traditional term is deemed traditional in the official language of one Member State if it has been used in that official language and in a specified border region of the neighbouring Member State(s) for wines elaborated under the same conditions provided that such a term fulfils the criteria in points (a) to (d) in one of these Member States and both Member States mutually agree to define, use and protect such a term.» ;

2. in the first paragraph of Article 28 the following indents are added after the eighth indent:

«- «zemské víno» in the case of table wines originating in the Czech Republic,

- «τοπικός οίνος» in the case of table wines originating in Cyprus,

- «tájbor» in the case of table wines originating in Hungary,

- «Inbid ta' lokalita tradizzjonali ( «I.L.T.» )» in the case of table wines originating in Malta,

- «de¾elno vino s priznano geografsko oznako» or «de¾elno vino PGO» in the case of table wines originating in Slovenia,» ;

3. Article 29 is amended as follows:

(a) in paragraph 1, the following points are added to paragraph 1:

«(k) Czech Republic:

«jakostní víno» , «jakostní víno odr>ISO_2>ùdové» , «jakostní víno známkové» ,

«jakostní víno s p>ISO_2>øívlastkem» or «víno s p>ISO_2>øívlastkem» , together with one of the following indications: «kabinetní víno» , «pozdní sb>ISO_2>ìr» , «výb>ISO_2>ìr z hrozn>ISO_2>ù» , «výb>ISO_2>ìr z bobulí» , «výb>ISO_2>ìr z cibéb» , «ledové víno» , «slámové víno» ,

«jakostní likérové víno» ,

«jakostní perlivé víno» ,

«víno originální certifikace» , «V.O.C» , «VOC» ;

(l) Cyprus:

«ΟΕΟΠ» (Οίνος Ελεγχόμενης Ονομασίας Προέλευσης),

«οίνος γλυκύς φυσικός» ;

(m) Hungary:

«min>ISO_2>õségi bor» ,

«különleges min>ISO_2>õség>ISO_2>û bor» ,

«fordítás» ,

«máslás»

«szamorodni» ,

«aszú ... puttonyos» , completed by the numbers 3-6,

«aszúeszencia» ,

«eszencia» ,

«védett eredet>ISO_2>û bor» ;

(n) Malta:

«Denominazzjoni ta' Origini Kontrollata ( «D.O.K.» )» ;

(o) Slovenia:

«kakovostno vino z za¹èitenim geografskim poreklom» or «kakovostno vino ZGP» ; these terms may be followed by the expression «mlado vino» ,

«priznano tradicionalno poimenovanje» , «vino PTP» ,

«vrhunsko vino z za¹èitenim geografskim poreklom» or «vrhunsko vino ZGP» ; this term may be accompanied by «pozna trgatev» , «izbor» , «jagodni izbor» , «suhi jagodni izbor» , «ledeno vino» , «arhivsko vino» , «arhiva» or «starano vino» , «slamno vino» ;

(p) Slovakia:

names accompanying the indication of origin of the wine:

«akostné víno» ,

«víno s prívlastkom» plus «kabinetné» , «neskorý zber» , «výber z hrozna» , «bobu>ISO_2>µový výber» , «hrozienkový výber» , «>ISO_2>µadový zber» ,

as well as the following expressions:

esencia,

forditá¹,

má¹lá¹,

samorodné,

výberová esencia,

«výber ... put>ISO_2>òový» , completed by the numbers 3-6.» ;

(b) in paragraph 2, the following points are added:

«(h) Czech Republic:

«jakostní ¹umivé víno stanovené oblasti» ,

«aromatické jakostní ¹umivé víno stanovené oblasti» / «aromatický sekt s.o.» ;

(i) Malta:

«Denominazzjoni ta' Origini Kontrollata ( «D.O.K.» )» ;

(j) Slovenia:

«kakovostno peneèe vino z za¹èitenim geografskim poreklom» or «kakovostno peneèe vino ZGP» ,

«vrhunsko peneèe vino z za¹èitenim geografskim poreklom» or «vrhunsko peneèe vino ZGP» ,

penina,

«kakovostno peneèe vino.»  » ;

4. in Article 30, the following point (f) is added:

«(f) Cyprus

«Κουμανδαρία» (Commandaria).»

;

5. Annex II is replaced by Annex I to this Regulation;

6. Annex III is amended in accordance with Annex II to this Regulation.

Article 2

In the case of Slovenia, products covered by this Regulation, the description and presentation in Slovenian of which conformed to the provisions applicable in Slovenia before its accession to the Community on 1 May 2004 and were put into circulation before the accession but do not conform to this Regulation, may be held for sale and exported until stocks are exhausted, however, by the latest on 30 April 2006 and in case of the vintage year 2003, on 30 April 2007 .

Article 3

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

It shall apply from 1 May 2004 .

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

Done at Brussels, 9 August 2004 .

For the Commission

Franz Fischler

Member of the Commission

(1) OJ L 179, 14.7.1999, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by the Act of Accession of 2003.

(2) OJ L 118, 4.5.2002, p. 1. Regulation as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 908/2004 (OJ L 163, 30.4.2004, p. 56).

ANNEX I

ANNEX II

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ANNEX II

In Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 753/2002, the following text is added: