10.10.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities L 272/15 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1795/2002 of 9 October 2002 amending Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000 laying down detailed rules for implementing Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 on the common organisation of the market in wine with regard to market mechanisms 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 last amended by Regulation (EC) No 2528/2001 (3), and in particular Article 33 thereof, Whereas: 1) Title III, Chapter II of Commission Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000 of 25 July 2000 laying down detailed rules for implementing Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999 on the common organisation of the market in wine with regard to market mechanisms (), as last amended by Regula- tion (EC) No 1315/2002 (¥, provides for an aid scheme for the distillation of wine to produce potable alcohol. The scheme was introduced for the first time in the wine year 2000/01. Experience gained from the first two years of application indicate the need for adjustments. The period during which distillation may take place needs to be redefined to bring it more into line with the production of wine in all producer Member States. For the same reason there should be a continuous period for the conclusion or approval of distillation contracts instead of the two-week periods currently in force. Experience from previous wine years has shown that producers are making more use of subcontracted distilla- tion; this results in a risk of disturbance on the alcohol market since the minimum purchase price of the wine cannot be verified. It is therefore necessary to stop that opportunity by amending Article 65 of Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000. However, there are, in certain Community regions, special production and market structures, including distillery structures which were already identified by European legislators when the compulsory distillation scheme for by-products of wine-making was being intro- duced. These are producers in wine-growing zone A, in the German part of wine-growing zone B or in the areas planted with vines in Austria who, for the identified structural reasons, have been exempted from compul- sory distillation. In one of those regions the rules governing crisis distillation have had to be amended to take account of the high costs of transport to the distil- leries given their small number and geographical spread. If there were no opportunity to use sub-contracted distil- 179, 14.7.1999, p. 1. 345, 29.12.2001, p. 10. Mo L () O] L () O] L 194, 31.7.2000, p. 45. (" oL 192, 20.7.2002, p. 24. ling, producers in those regions would have practically no access to the distillation of wine to make potable alcohol. In order not to exclude those producers from availing themselves of that Community measure, provi- sion should be made for them to continue to use distil- ling on a subcontracting basis. (5) It is also necessary to redefine the periods and condi- tions for the storage of alcohol obtained from such distillation, including the definition of the unit of meas- urement for the aid, to take better account of the economic realities in the alcohol sector. (6)  Experience has revealed certain omissions in the wording of Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000, in particular concerning the release of the security in the event that a contract is not quite performed in its entirety, the dead- line for aid applications and the introduction of a margin of tolerance for the volume of distillation prod- ucts stored. New provisions should be included in this Regulation in order to remedy those omissions. (7)  The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Wine, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Article 1 Regulation (EC) No 1623/2000 is hereby amended as follows: 1. Chapter II of Title III is replaced by the following: ‘CHAPTER II OPTIONAL DISTILLATION Article 63 Purpose This chapter lays down the detailed rules for applying the arrangements for distilling wine to produce potable alcohol as referred to in Article 29 of Regulation (EC) No 1493/ 1999. Article 63a Opening of distillation 1. The distillation of table wine and wine suitable for yielding table wine referred to in Article 29 of Regulation (EC) No 14931999 shall be opened for the period from 1 October to 15 December each wine year, but from 1 October to 30 December for the wine year 2002/03.