Food Law News - EU - 1997

15 October 1997: EXTRACTION SOLVENTS - Amendment to Directive

MAFF Letter, 15 October 1997

Extraction Solvents - Amendment to Directive

A Common Position was reached on the 24 March 1997 on a proposal to amend for the 3rd time Council Directive 88/344/EEC on Extraction Solvents Used in the Production of Foodstuffs and Food Ingredients. The new amending Directive was foramlly adopted at the Labour and Social Affairs Coucnil held on 7 October. Only one amendment was made to the common position text following the proposal’s second reading by the Euorpean Parliament - a new recital confirmating that the newly authorised 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane will have no impact on global warming.

Member States will be required to amend their national legislation to implement the provisions of the new Directie and, subject to Ministerial agreement, the Ministry intends to consult interested parties in due course on draft regulations to amend the Extraction Solvenets in Food Regulations 1993 (as amended).

Additional information has been provided in the minutes of the Council Meeting:

The Council adopted by a qualified majority, the Danish delegation voting against, a Directive amending for the third time Directive 88/344/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States on extraction solvents used in the production of foodstuffs and food ingredients.

The text includes the sole amendment voted by the European Parliament to the Council's common position of 24 March 1997. The aim of the Directive is twofold:
1. to adapt the positive list (list of authorized substances) annexed to the Directive, by

2. to simplify the procedure for making the necessary adjustments of the Directive to technological progress. Having to use a proposal based on Article 100a of the Treaty every time was thought too cumbersome in an area in which adjustments to technical progress and scientific knowledge had not hitherto elicited any substantive objections from either the European Parliament or the Council.

Henceforth, decisions relating to new substances to be added to the positive list, conditions of use and maximum residue levels would therefore be taken in accordance with a regulatory Committee (Committee IIIa) procedure.

For previous item, see 25 April 1997

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