L 316/14 Official Journal of the European Communities 15.12.2000 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 2728/2000 of 14 December 2000 opening crisis distillation as provided for in Article 30 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 in certain wine-growing regions of Germany 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 ('), as amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1622/ 2000 (3, and in particular Articles 30 and 33 thereof, Whereas: (1)  Article 30 of Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 provides for the possibility of opening crisis distillation in the event of exceptional market disturbance caused by major surpluses. Such measures may be limited to certain cate- gories of wine andfor certain areas of production and may apply to quality wines psr at the request of the Member State. (2) By letter of 2 November 2000 the German Government requested that crisis distillation be triggered for white wine of all vine varieties grown in the Mittelrhein, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Nahe, Pfalz and Rheinhessen wine- growing regions. The measure is to apply to white quality wines psr of all those regions too. (3)  Wine production in those regions was less than 6 million hl per year in 1995, 1996 and 1997. It amounted to 7,07 million hl in 1998 and 8,02 million hlin 1999. At the same time, white wine's share of total wine consumed in Germany declined from 54 % in 1995 to 47 % in 1999, while there was an increase in consumption of red wine, most of which is imported. White wine exports fell by 13 % between 1993 and 1999. (4)  Prices for white wines in those regions are considerably down on 1998. In Rheinhessen, Pfalz and Nahe, prices for wines of the Miiller-Thurgau and Silvaner vine vari- eties fell from DEM 120-160/hl to around DEM 60/hl while those for wine of the Riesling vine variety in Mosel-Saar-Ruwer dropped from DEM 200-230/hl to DEM 80/hl. Prices for table wine are currently around DEM 40/hl and those for quality wines range from DEM 55/hl to DEM 80/hl depending on the vine variety and the region. (5)  Despite these low prices, consumption of white wine has not risen significantly in 2000. Even the low figures forecast for the 2000 grape harvest have not bumped prices up. White wines stocks in those regions stand () O] L 179, 14.7.1999, p. 1. () O] L 194, 31.7.2000, p. 1. (10) () () 0] 0] currently at 7,5 million hl, while around 6 million hl would suffice to ensure regular supplies to the market. The producers concerned have delivered wine for distil- lation in accordance with Article 29 of Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999, but those provisions only concern table wine and the measure accordingly does not fully meet the needs of these regions. A crisis distillation measure is therefore required to solve the serious problems of these wine-growing regions of Germany. Since the conditions laid down in Article 30(5) of Regu- lation (EC) No 1493/1999 are satisfied, crisis distillation covering a maximum of 1 million hl should be triggered in these German wine-growing regions for a limited period with a view to maximum effectiveness. No ceiling should be set on the quantity that individual producers can have distilled because wine stocks may vary substan- tially from one producer to another and they depend on sales to a greater extent than on the individual produ- cer's annual output. The mechanism to be introduced is provided for in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000 of 25 July 2000 laying down detailed rules for implementing Regu- lation (EC) No 1493/1999 on the common organisation of the market in wine with regard to market mecha- nisms (}), as amended by Regulation (EC) No 2409/ 2000 (*. In addition to the articles of that Regulation referring to the distillation measure provided for in Article 30 of Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999, other provisions of Regulation (EC) No 16232000 are applic- able, and in particular those on the delivery of the alcohol to the intervention agency and on payment of advances. The buying-in price to be paid by the distiller to the producer should provide a solution to the problems while allowing producers to take advantage of the poss- ibility afforded by this measure. That price should not, however, be such that it adversely affects the application of distillation as provided for in Article 29 of Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999. The product of crisis distillation must be raw alcohol or neutral alcohol for compulsory delivery to the interven- tion agency in order to avoid disturbing the market for potable alcohol, which is supplied largely by distillation under Article 29 of Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999. L 194, 31.7.2000, p. 45. L 278, 31.10.2000, p. 3.