WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3066/97 by Amedeo AMADEO to the Commission. Labelling of foodstuffs
C 134/68 EN Official Journal of the European Communities 30. 4. 98 Answer given by Mrs Bjerregaard on behalf of the Commission (11 November 1997) The Commission proposal for a European Parliament and Council Directive on marking of packaging was adopted on 25 November 1996. This proposal completes Directive 94/62/EC by introducing the marking symbols which should be used, and the assessment procedure for the compliance of the packaging with the essential requirements of the Directive. The aim of the marking proposal is to inform consumers when packaging can be reused or recycled. Furthermore, the Commission proposal seeks to remove the current confusion on the market by defining one symbol for reusable and one symbol for recyclable packaging. In the marking proposal only packaging that is reusable or recyclable according to the requirement laid down in Directive 94/62/EEC can be marked. The system is voluntary, but if a producer wants to indicate that the packaging is reusable or recyclable the symbols must be used. Others will not be allowed. A broad variety of different symbols and labels regarding recyclability and reusability are used by manufacturers at present, which often confuse consumers about the environmental performance of packaging. The Commission is of the opinion that the discussions on the proposal for a directive on marking in the Parliament and the Council should be finalised before taking further steps regarding marking of packaging. (98/C 134/86) WRITTEN QUESTION E-3066/97 by Amedeo Amadeo (NI) to the Commission (2 October 1997) Subject: Labelling of foodstuffs The Commission has submitted a proposal for a European Parliament and Council directive amending Directive 79/112/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs (COM(97) 20 final › 97/0027 COD) (1). While the Commission proposal is to be welcomed, does the Commission not consider that it would be more proper for the specific labelling procedures for alcoholic drinks to be laid down by the Standing Committee on Foodstuffs rather than by the committees responsible for COMs? (1) OJ C 106, 4. 4. 1997, p. 5 Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission (11 November 1997) The Community regulations applicable to wines, sparkling wines, liqueur wines, semi-sparkling wines, aromatised wines and spirit drinks already contain labelling provisions for the same. The Commission therefore considered it logical that the rules for labelling the ingredients of these beverages be adopted within the framework of those same regulations in accordance with the applicable procedures. This choice is also justified by the fact that the experts who meet on the committees which deal with these regulations have a detailed knowledge of the specific nature of the beverages in question. The Standing Committee for Foodstuffs procedure established by Council Decision 69/414/EEC of 13 November 1969 (1) has been selected for beverages which, like beer or cider, are not covered by vertical Community legislation. (1) OJ L 291, 19. 11. 1969