European Parliaments Agriculture Committee vote to maintain import licenses for ethyl alcohol

Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen said “MEPs decision to reject the European Commission proposal which includes plans to eliminate import licenses for ethyl alcohol under the simplification agenda is a positive step . Without import licenses, we would not be able to plan ahead or have any idea of what sort of volumes would come onto the EU market from non-EU countries. Import certificates guarantee the traceability and provenance of imports and make it possible to anticipate changes in the origin of theproduct in the short term. Up-to-date statistics are vital for information purposes and the transparency of the market, and for political decision-making. The Commission proposal would lead to the abolition of vital statistics on production broken down according to alcohol-producing product, on consumption, stocks, trade, and the annual balance sheet for ethyl alcohol which is unacceptable”.

The move comes after the Agriculture Committee voted today on a report on the Commission proposal aimed at repealing Regulation (EC) No 2336/2003 which establishes detailed rules for applying Council Regulation (EC) No 670/2003 which lays down specific measures concerning the market in ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin and to eliminate import certificates for ethyl alcohol in Regulation (EC) No 376/2008. We urge the full set of MEPs to support the Committee and reject the proposal at plenary session.