Brussels, 10/04/2007 (Agence Europe) - The presidency of the Council of Ministers of the EU has been able to observe a clear majority of member states supporting its new compromise text on presentation and production rules for spirit drinks, particularly vodka. It is still hoping to reach an agreement in a single reading with the European Parliament on this dossier (in co-decision procedure, EUROPE 9356 on the draft report of the parliamentary environment, public health and food security committee). The presidency will be meeting with MEPs involved in this issue, including Horst Schnellhardt (EPP-ED), on 18 April.
The German presidency's new compromise, which was received rather well by most countries during the special committee on agriculture (SCA) meeting on 2 April, includes a category of vodka containing two variations: 1) only vodkas produced from grain or potato alcohol can have vodka labels on the bottles; 2) operators using other raw vegetable products other than grains or potatoes will have to explain, for example, that the vodka comes from grapes, rice, sugar or beetroot. This indication on vodka is in favour of fairly flexible labelling provisions. Indications that the vodka “is made from” other products could be included on the backs of the bottles but there is no obligation regarding the size or font for this indication. Some delegations requesting that sugar beet molasses are considered as a traditional raw material in vodka production are continuing to oppose the draft compromise.
The first version of the Council compromise obtained under the Finnish presidency included two categories of vodka: one that is labelled “vodka” and for which the ethyl alcohol comes from grain, potato and/or sugar beet molasses. The second comes from “elaborated or distilled” vodka from raw products other than grain, potatoes or sugar beet molasses (the name has to be stipulated). The draft EP report, which is aiming to be closer to that of the Commission's initial “liberal” proposal, stipulates that the term “vodka” describes a spirit drink produced from agricultural ethyl alcohol fermented from grain, potatoes and/or molasses (without specifying molasses from sugar beets or sugar cane).
Two other questions on the denomination of certain spirit drinks remain open: Austria considers that “Jägertee” (rum based liqueur) is a geographical indication set out in a law of 1981. Germany does not share this view because Bavaria has used this term for many years. Austria, supported by several countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania) is making this a question of principle; four other EU member states (Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Austria) are requesting that the accepted threshold of hydrocyanic acid in spirit drinks is set at 10 grams per hectolitre (a toxic substance that appears in the distillation process). The German presidency and Commission want this limit to not go above 7 g/hl. (lc)