On Thursday 13 July, the Commission decided to send reasoned opinions to three member states (Cyprus, Italy and the United Kingdom) as they failed to communicate their national transposition measures on marketing standards for certain milk products, namely caseins and caseinates.
The labelling rules laid out in this Directive (2015/2203) aim to provide a high level of protection of health, aligning EU legislation on food with international standards and facilitating the free movement of these products by food business operators. Member States had to transpose the Directive into national legislation and inform the Commission of such measures by 22 December 2016.
Caseins, which are found in milk and can be used independently in many industries as a binding agent, have a wide variety of uses, from being a major component of cheese, to use as a food additive.
Caseinates are used in cheese-making, in protein supplements and in coffee creamer powders. The Commission's requests take the form of a reasoned opinion and follow letters of formal notice, which the Commission had sent in January 2017
Cyprus, Italy and the United Kingdom have two months to comply with their obligations; otherwise, the Commission may decide to refer them to the Court of Justice of the EU. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)