L 181/12 Official Journal of the European Union 19.7.2003 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1291/2003 of 18 July 2003 supplementing the Annex to Regulation (EC) No 2400/96 on the entry of certain names in the ‘Register of protected designation of origin and protected geographical indications’ provided for in Council Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 on the protection of geographical indications and designa- tions of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (Pane di Altamura) THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 of 14 July 1992 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and food- stuffs (*), as last amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 806/2003 (3, and in particular Article 6(3) and (4) thereof, Whereas: 1 ) ) 0 In accordance with Article 5 of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92, Italy forwarded to the Commission an applica- tion for the registration of the name ‘Pane di Altamura’ as a protected designation of origin. The application was found, in accordance with Article 6(1) of that Regulation, to comply with the Regulation, most notably in that it includes all the particulars provided for in Article 4 of the Regulation. The Hellenic Republic sent the Commission a statement of objection within the meaning of Article 7 of Regula- tion (EEC) No 2081/92 as a result of the publication in the Official Journal of the European Communities (*) of the main elements relating to the application for registration of ‘Pane di Altamura’. The objection related to non- compliance with the conditions referred to in Article 2 of the Regulation. In the case of a designation of origin, production, processing and preparation are to take place in the defined geographical area. However, in the case of ‘Pane di Altamura’, according to the product specifica- tion, the bread was made from raw material, semolina, produced by five different municipalities: Altamura, Gravina di Puglia, Poggiorsini, Spinazzola and Minervo Murge, while the area for processing into bread was restricted to the municipality of Altamura. The Portuguese Republic sent the Commission a state- ment of objection within the meaning of Article 7 of Regulation (EEC) No 2081/92 as a result of the publica- tion in the Official Journal of the European Communities of the main elements relating to the application for regis- tration of ‘Pane di Altamura’. The objection related to the same arguments as those put forward by the Hellenic Republic. It was pointed out, in addition, that registra- tion should have been applied for as a protected geogra- phical indication and not as a protected designation of origin. L 208, 24.7.1992, p. 1. L 122,16.5.2003, p. 1. C 156, 30.5.2001, p. 10. () (10) The statements of objection from the Hellenic Republic and the Portuguese Republic were admissible within the meaning of Article 7(4) of the Regulation. The Commis- sion asked the Member States concerned to seck agree- ment among themselves in accordance with their internal procedures. In its reply to the statements of objection of the Hellenic Republic and the Portuguese Republic, the Italian Republic stated it agreed with the comments made. It also pointed out that defining the area of production of the raw material and the milling area differently from the area of production of the bread was the result exclu- sively of a clerical error, and provided a reworded version of the paragraph defining the geographical area in the specification summary which states that the production area for ‘Pane di Altamura’ is the same as that for the raw material. The Hellenic Republic replied that it no longer had any objection to the registration of the name Pane di Alta- mura’. The Portuguese Republic replied that it maintained its objection to the registration of the name Pane di Alta- mura’ as a protected designation of origin. It pointed out that it appeared inappropriate for the geographical name ‘Altamura’ to be used to refer to a product originating in the entire geographical area corresponding to the above- mentioned five municipalities and that there was evidence in the summary statement that only the muni- cipality of Altamura was famed for the production of the bread and not the entire region. For these reasons the name should, it seemed, have been registered as a protected geographical indication. The Italian Republic sent the Commission an application for registration of the name Pane di Altamura’ as a designation of origin, modified in relation to the initial application. The geographical area of production of the bread covers the five abovementioned municipalities and coincides, therefore, with the geographical area of production of the raw material. Since no agreement has been reached between the Italian Republic and the Portuguese Republic within three months, the Commission must take a decision in accor- dance with the procedure laid down in Article 15.