2012/227/EU: Council Decision of 24 April 2012 on the position to be taken by the European Union in the EEA Joint Committee concerning an amendment to Annex II (Technical regulations, standards, testing and certification) to the EEA Agreement

The position to be taken by the European Union within the EEA Joint Committee on the proposed amendments to Annex II (Technical regulations, standards, testing and certification) to the EEA Agreement shall be based on the draft Decision of the EEA Joint Committee attached to this Decision.

This Decision shall enter into force on the day of its adoption.

Chapter XXVII of Annex II (Technical regulations, standards, testing and certification) to the EEA Agreement is hereby amended as follows: (1) The text of point 1 (Council Regulation (EEC) No 1576/89) and point 2 (Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1014/90) is deleted. (2) The following points are inserted: ‘9. 32008 R 0110: Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 January 2008 on the definition, description, presentation, labelling and the protection of geographical indications of spirit drinks (OJ L 39, 13.2.2008, p. 16), as amended by: 32008 R 1334: Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on flavourings and certain food ingredients with flavouring properties for use in and on foods (OJ L 354, 31.12.2008, p. 34). The provisions of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 shall, for the purposes of this Agreement, be read with the following adaptations: (a) The provisions of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 shall not prejudice the right of the EFTA States to prohibit, on a non-discriminatory basis, the placing on their national market of spirit drinks for direct human consumption which exceed an alcoholic strength of 60 %. (b) The EFTA States shall be invited to send observers to the meetings of the Committee for Spirit Drinks, as referred to in Article 25, dealing with matters which fall within acts referred to in the EEA Agreement. The representatives of the EFTA States shall participate fully in the work of that Committee, but shall not have the right to vote. (c) Paragraph 4(d) of Protocol 1 to the EEA Agreement shall not apply to Chapter III of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008. (d) The following is added in Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 110/2008: Product categoryGeographical indicationCountry of origin (the precise geographical origin is described in the technical file) 15. Vodka Íslenskt Vodka/Icelandic VodkaIcelandNorsk Vodka/Norwegian VodkaNorway 24. Akvavit/aquavit ÍslensktBrennivín/Icelandic AquavitIcelandNorsk akevitt/Norsk Aquavit/Norsk Akvavit/Norwegian AquavitNorwayOther spirit drinks The geographical indications mentioned under this point concern products which are not defined in Regulation (EC) No 110/2008. Therefore, they must be completed with the sales description “spirit drink”. The EFTA States producing these spirit drinks shall inform the other Contracting Parties of the national definitions of these products. 10. 32010 H 0133: Commission Recommendation 2010/133/EU of 2 March 2010 on the prevention and reduction of ethyl carbamate contamination in stone fruit spirits and stone fruit marc spirits and on the monitoring of ethyl carbamate levels in these beverages (OJ L 52, 3.3.2010, p. 53).’.

The texts of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 and of Recommendation 2010/133/EU in the Icelandic and Norwegian languages, to be published in the EEA Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union, shall be authentic.

This Decision shall enter into force on […], provided that all the notifications under Article 103(1) of the EEA Agreement have been made to the EEA Joint Committee .

This Decision shall be published in the EEA Section of, and in the EEA Supplement to, the Official Journal of the European Union.