Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1286 of 9 September 2020 approving amendments to the specification for a spirit drink whose name is registered as a geographical indication (Scotch Whisky)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EU) 2019/787 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the definition, description, presentation and labelling of spirit drinks, the use of the names of spirit drinks in the presentation and labelling of other foodstuffs, the protection of geographical indications for spirit drinks, the use of ethyl alcohol and distillates of agricultural origin in alcoholic beverages, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 110/2008⁽¹⁾, and in particular Article 30(2) thereof,

Whereas:

Pursuant to Article 21 in conjunction with Article 17(5) of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council⁽²⁾, the Commission has examined the United Kingdom’s application of 8 May 2018 for the approval of amendments to the technical file for the geographical indication ‘Scotch Whisky’, protected under Regulation (EC) No 110/2008.
Regulation (EU) 2019/787, which replaces Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, entered into force on 25 May 2019. Under Article 49(1) thereof, Chapter III of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 on geographical indications was repealed with effect from 8 June 2019. Under Article 22(2) of Regulation (EU) 2019/787, technical files submitted as part of any application before 8 June 2019 under Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 are deemed to be product specifications.
After concluding that the application complied with Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, the Commission published the amendment application in the Official Journal of the European Union⁽³⁾ as required by Article 17(6) of that Regulation, in accordance with the first subparagraph of Article 50(4) of Regulation (EU) 2019/787.
As no statement of opposition under Article 27(1) of Regulation (EU) 2019/787 has been received by the Commission, the amendments to the specification should be approved pursuant to Article 30(2) of that Regulation, which applies mutatis mutandis to product specification amendments,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

The amendments to the specification for the name ‘Scotch Whisky’, published in the Official Journal of the European Union, are hereby approved.

Article 2

This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 9 September 2020.

For the Commission,

On behalf of the President,

Janusz Wojciechowski

Member of the Commission