On Thursday 1 March, the European Parliament adopted its position on the proposal presented by the European Commission at the end of December 2016 on aligning the definition, presentation and labelling of spirit drinks with the Lisbon treaties.
The text also makes provision for the replacement of the procedural rules for geographical indications in the sector with new provisions inspired by the system in force for agricultural and agrifood products.
The amendments brought by MEPs will be examined by member state experts on 2 and 16 March before the Special Committee on Agriculture takes over, probably on 26 March, to finalise the Council position on this issue.
Arguing that consumers have a right to be informed of the nutritional content of spirits, Miriam Dalli (S&D, Malta) regretted that an amendment requiring the labelling of ingredients and nutritional values of spirits had not been adopted.
In March 2017, the Commission gave the alcoholic beverages sector one year to submit a self-regulatory proposal on labelling of the ingredients and nutritional information for all its products. The inclusion of this information on labels has been mandatory since December 2014 for all foodstuffs, with the exception of drinks containing more than 1.2% by volume of alcohol. The wine, spirits, beer and cider sectors drafted a proposal for a “joint commitment” under which nutritional and ingredient information would be delivered to consumers on the label or by other means (through an internet link of bar code, for instance).
If the Commission does not judge this plan to be satisfactory, it will examine other possible options.