Agreement on the European Economic Area

XXVII. SPIRIT DRINKS

Contracting Parties shall authorize imports and marketing of spirit drinks which are in conformity with the Community legislation as listed in this Chapter. For all other purposes, EFTA States may continue to apply their national legislation.

ACTS REFERRED TO:

1. 389 R 1576: Council Regulation (EEC) No 1576/89 of 29 May 1989 laying down general rules on the definition, description and presentation of spirit drinks (OJ No L 160, 12.6.1989, p. 1), as corrected by OJ No L 223, 2.8.1989, p. 27.

The provisions of the Regulation shall, for the purposes of the present Agreement, be read with the following adaptations:

(a)

the provisions of this Regulation 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 alcoholic strength of 60%;

(b)

in Article 1(2), the corresponding headings in the Harmonized system to CN codes 2203 00, 2204, 2205, 2206 and 2207 are 2203, 2204, 2205, 2206 00 and 2207;

(c)

as regards the definition of fruit spirit drinks in Article 1(4)(1): for Austria, alcohol of agricultural origin may be added at any phase of the manufacturing process, provided that the minimum proportion of 33% of the alcohol contained in the final product is derived from the name-giving fruit;

(d)

as regards Article l(4)(q): Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden may prohibit the marketing of vodka produced from raw materials other than cereals or potatoes;

(e)

in application of Article 6(1) the following terms may complete the sales description:

• the words ‘Suomalainen punssi/Finsk Punsch/Finnish punch’ and ‘Svensk Punsch/Swedish punch’ can be used for a spirit drink from sugar cane distillate as raw material. It may be mixed with alcohol of agricultural origin, and sweetening. It may be flavoured with wine or juice or natural aroma from citrus or other fruits or berries;

• the word ‘Spritglögg’ can be used for a spirit drink produced by flavouring ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin with natural extracts of cloves, or any other plant which contains the same principal aromatic constituent, using one of the following processes:

  • maceration and/or distillation,

  • redistillation of the alcohol in the presence of the buds or other parts of the plants specified above,

  • addition of natural distilled extracts of clove plants,

  • a combination of these three methods.

  Other natural plant extracts or aromatic seed may also be used, but the cloves taste must remain predominant;

• the word ‘Jägertee’ can be used for a liquor normally diluted before consumption in hot water or tea, originating in Austria. This liquor is prepared on the basis of ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, essence of certain spirit drinks or tea to which several natural aromatizing substances have been added. The alcohol strength is at least 22.5% volume The sugar content is at least 100 g per litre expressed as invert sugar.

  This liquor may also be designated as ‘Jagertee’ or ‘Jagatee’;

(f)

In Article 3(2) ‘Regulation’ shall read ‘EEA Agreement’;

(g)

Articles 7(6), 7(7), 10(2), 11 and 12 shall not apply;

(h)

Annex II shall be completed as follows:

5. Brandy	‘Wachauer Weinbrand Weinbrand Dürnstein’
6. Grape marc spirit	‘Balzner Marc Baselbieter Marc Benderer Marc Eschner Marc Grappa del Ticino/Grappa Ticinese Grappa della Val Calanca Grappa della Val Bregaglia Grappa della Val Mesolcina Grappa della Valle di Poschiavo Marc d'Auvernier Marc de Dôle du Valais Schaaner Marc Triesner Marc Vaduzer Marc’
7. Fruit spirit	‘Aargauer Bure Kirsch Abricotine du Valais/Walliser Aprikosenwasser Baselbieterkirsch Baselbieter Zwetschgenwasser Bernbieter Birnenbrand Bernbieter Kirsch Bernbieter Mirabellen Bernbieter Zwetschgenwasser Bérudges de Cornaux Emmentaler Kirsch Freiämter Theilersbirnenbranntwein Freiämter Zwetschgenwasser Fricktaler Kirsch Kirsch de la Béroche Luzerner Birnenträsch Luzerner Kirsch Luzerner Theilersbirnenbranntwein Luzerner Zwetschgenwasser Mirabelle du Valais Rigi Kirsch Seeländer Pflümliwasser Urschwyzerkirsch Wachauer Marillenbrand William du Valais/Walliser Williams Zuger Kirsch’
9. Gentian spirit	‘Gentiane du Jura’
11. Juniper flavoured spirit drinks	‘Genièvre du Jura’
12. Caraway flavoured spirit drinks	‘Islenskt Brennivín/Icelandic Aquavit Norsk Aquavit/Norsk Akvavit/Norwegian Aquavit Svensk Aquavit/Svensk Akvavit/Swedish Aquavit’
14. Liqueur	‘Bernbieter Griottes Liqueur Bernbieter Kirschen Liqueur Genépi du Valais Grossglockner Alpenbitter Mariazeller Magenlikör Mariazeller Jagasaftl Puchheimer Bitter Puchheimer Schlossgeist Steinfelder Magenbitter Wachauer Marillenlikör’
15. Spirit drinks	‘Bernbieter Cherry Brandy Liqueur Bernbieter Kräuterbitter Eau-de-vie d'herbes du Jura Gotthard Kräuterbranntwein Luzerner Chrüter (Kräuterbranntwein) Suomalainen punssi/Finsk Punsch/Finnish punch Svensk Punsch/Swedish punch Vieille lie du Mandement Walliser Chrüter (Kräuterbranntwein) The geographical indications mentioned under point 15 concern products which are not defined in the Regulation. 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.’
16. Vodka	‘Islenskt Vodka/Icelandic Vodka Norsk Vodka/Norwegian Vodka Suomalainen Vodka/Finsk Vodka/Vodka of Finland Svensk Vodka/Swedish Vodka’.

2. 390 R 1014: Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1014/90 of 24 April 1990 laying down detailed implementing rules on the definition, description and presentation of spirit drinks (OJ No L 105, 25.4.1990, p. 9), as amended by:

• 391 R 1180: Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1180/91 of 6 May 1991 (OJ No L 115, 8.5.1991, p. 5),

• 391 R 1781: Commission Regulation (EEC) No 1781/91 of 19 June 1991 (OJ No L 160, 25.6.1991, P. 6).

The provisions of the Regulation shall, for the purposes of the present Agreement, be read with the following adaptation:

For the application of Articles 2 and 6 Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden may apply a maximum methyl alcohol content of 1 200 g per hectolitre of alcohol at 100% volume.

3. 391 R 1601: Council Regulation (EEC) No 1601/91 of 10 June 1991 laying down general rules on the definition, description and presentation of aromatized wines, aromatized wine-based drinks and aromatized wine-product cocktails (OJ No L 149, 14.6.1991, p. 1).

The provisions of the Regulation shall, for the purposes of the present Agreement, be read with the following adaptations:

(a)

Article 2(2) shall be completed as follows:

‘(d)

Starkvinsglögg:

aromatized wine which has been prepared from wine as referred to in paragraph l(a), the characteristic taste of which is obtained by the use of cloves which must always be used together with other spices; this drink may be sweetened according to Article 3(a).’;

(b)

in the heading and text of Article 2(3)(f), ‘or vinglögg’ shall be inserted after ‘Glühwein’;

(c)

Articles 8(7), 8(8), 9(2), 10 and 11 shall not apply.