The Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety adopted a report by Adina-Ioana VĂLEAN (EPP, RO) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 as regards nominal quantities for placing on the Union market of single distilled shochu produced by pot still and bottled in Japan.
The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament adopt its position at first reading, taking over the Commission proposal.
This Commission proposal aims at introducing a derogation from Union rules concerning bottle sizes, for single distilled shochu, a spirit drink produced by pot still and bottled in Japan that is traditionally sold in bottles of sizes of four go or one sho that correspond to nominal quantities of 720 ml (one go corresponds to 180 ml) and 1800 ml, respectively, and that are currently not among the nominal quantities permitted in the Union under Directive 2007/45/EC laying down rules on nominal quantities of prepacked products.
This proposal is an amendment to Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the definition, description, presentation, labelling and the protection of geographical indications of spirit drinks.
The derogation that is proposed to implement the EU-Japan EPA can only be introduced by means of a Regulation as it needs to apply in all Member States simultaneously upon entry into force of the EU-Japan EPA.
The EU has finalised negotiations for a trade agreement with Japan. An agreement in principle was reached on 7 July 2017 and negotiations were finalized on 8 December 2017. On 18 April 2018, the text of the agreement was presented by the Commission to the Council. Once approved by the Council, the agreement will be sent to the European Parliament, aiming for the entry into force before the end of the current mandate of the European Commission in 2019.