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‘Spirits Bible’ reform moves forward
Members of European Parliament have voted in favour of the continued legal requirement for spirits to be made from agricultural raw materials and not beer by-products.
Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 is dubbed the ‘Spirits Bible’
Trade body Spirits Europe said it is “very pleased” by the position taken by MEPs, as the revised Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 was voted for in its first reading at European Parliament.
Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 is the last piece of EU legislation to be aligned with the Lisbon Treaty, and as such is in the process of being adapted.
The regulation outlines the definitions of 47 spirit categories and their production requirements. The regulation also lists every EU-made spirit with a geographical indication that has been registered in the EU – 250 in total.
A revised version of the law was adopted by the EU Commission in December 2016. Following the vote in European Parliament, the European Council will now consider the revised legislation.
Spirits Europe is lobbying for the 47 spirit categories under the regulation to “maintain quality and tradition”.
Speaking to The Spirits Business last month, new Spirits Europe president Ulrich Adam said his association is seeking “some adaption” to the law but is not advocating “big change”.
The group has requested that the revised regulation stipulates that non-spirit products cannot be labelled as flavoured with a particular spirit, if they do not contain any trace of that spirit.
“It’s not so much that we have asked for radical changes – we have asked for some evolution,” he said at the time. “But because the box is open more people from outside our industry are asking for changes.”
These requested changes have included the use of beer by-products to distil spirits. However, MEPs agreed with industry lobbyists that spirits should continue to be made only from agricultural raw materials.
“That decision will maintain the spirit sector’s traditional and long standing link to agriculture, which is greatly valued by all producers,” commented Nick Soper, internal market director at Spirits Europe.
In a statement, Adam said: “Attention now turns to the Council where discussions on the new regulation continue.
“We hope member states will reach similarly helpful conclusions and that the institutions can then find a consensus which, while allowing for flexibility to update the legislation when necessary, respects the tradition and culture of the 47 product categories and 250 GIs produced across Europe and exported all over the world.”