Activites

• 2004/01/29 Final act published in Official Journal
  • Directive 2003/115
  • OJ L 024 29.01.2004, p. 0065-0071
• 2003/12/22 Final act signed
• 2003/12/22 End of procedure in Parliament
• #2549
• 2003/12/01 Council Meeting
• 2003/10/22 Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading
  • T5-0445/2003 summary

    The European Parliament adopted a resolution drafted by Anne FERREIRA (PES, France) and made three amendments to the common position. (Please see the summary of 07/10/03.)�

• 2003/10/21 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 2003/10/07 Vote in committee, 2nd reading
  • A5-0345/2003
• 2003/07/03 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 2nd reading
• #2516
• 2003/06/25 Council Meeting
  • 09714/1/2003 summary

    The common position is based on the Commission's amended proposal that took several amendments proposed by the European parliament into account. It has been adopted by the Council by unanimity. The Council has accepted - either word by word or in substance - the two European Parliament's amendments as set out in the Commission's amended proposal. It has however changed the deadline for the prohibition of use of products not conforming with the Directive to 18 months after the entry into force. Furthermore, the Council has followed the Commission's amended proposal in reducing the authorised levels for cyclamates for water-based drinks as well as drinks based on milk or fruit-juice as proposed by the European Parliament, to 250 mg/l. While this level is greater than the 100 mg/l proposed by the European Parliament, the Commission has undertaken in a minutes statement to keep under review the maximum usable doses of these substances, taking account inter-alia of information on intakes from Member States. As regards the other amendments, the Council, like the Commission, considers that some of the questions addressed by these amendments could be raised in the context of the future updating of the legislation. The main innovations introduced by the Council with regard to the Commission's amended proposal relate to: - clarification of the wording of Article 4 of Directive 94/35/EC, notably as regards the use of a food additive listed in the Annex and authorised at 'quantum satis' (Article 1(1)), - labelling obligation as regards salt of aspartame and acesulfame (Article 1(2)), - simplification of the layout of the table in the Annex related to the maximum usable dose for salt of aspartame-acesulfame, in order to indicate the limits either as acesulfame-K equivalents or as aspartame equivalents. Other modifications have been made, of a purely technical nature and aiming at clarifying the text of the Directive (notably concerning the renaming of certain categories and foodstuffs in the Annex, following the adoption of a certain number of Directives since 1994).�

• #2510
• 2003/05/19 Council Meeting
• 2003/05/16 Modified legislative proposal published
  • COM(2003)0277 summary

    The Commission's amended proposal fully incorporated 2 of the 8 amendments adopted by the European Parliament at first reading: the amendment concerning the recital on cyclamates and the amendment on the transposition of the directive. The Commission rejected the other amendments. The Commission had agreed to an amendment tabled by Parliament for the plenary requesting to reduce the maximum permitted dose of cyclamates for soft drinks to 250 mg/l and to extend this limit to milk and juice based drinks. This amendment had been deleted when Parliament adopted an amendment in the plenary requesting a value of 100 mg/l for these food categories. In keeping with its position expressed in the plenary, the Commission now proposed to reduce the dose of cyclamates to 250 mg/l in soft drinks and to extend this reduction to milk and juice based drinks.�

  • DG [{'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/index_en.htm', 'title': 'Health and Consumers'}],
• 2003/04/10 Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
  • T5-0183/2003 summary

    The European Parliament adopted the resolution by Mrs Anne FERREIRA (PES, F) calling on the Commission to tighten up the new restrictions it is proposing on cyclamates in soft drinks in line with its consistent drive to make sure that foodstuffs and drinks consumed in the EU are safe. It is concerned at claims that cyclamates, used as low-calorie sweeteners in drinks consumed in large quantities by children and teenagers in particular, pose health hazards and may cause reduced testosterone levels in rats and are carcinogenic. It believes that the Commission's plan to reduce the maximum levels of cyclamates from the current level of 400 mg/l to 350 mg/l. does not go far enough. The House passed an amendment which reduces the limit to 100 mg/l (and brings it down further from the limit of 250 mg/l previously demanded by the Environment Committee). It also voted to extend the new limit to milk-based drinks in addition to water-based drinks. The resolution, which was adopted by 440 votes to 20, with 13 abstentions, accepts the Commission's proposal, in the same draft directive, to authorise two new sweeteners, sucralose and aspartame-acesulfame salt. However, it calls for a review of their use within three years. It also wants the use of two other sweeteners, aspartame and Stevia, to be re-examined and calls for proposals to improve the labelling of products containing aspartame. Parliament also wants the new directive to be implemented in the Member States within a year of its entry into force.�

• 2003/04/09 Debate in Parliament
  • Debate in Parliament
• 2003/02/19 Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading
  • A5-0049/2003
• 2002/09/02 Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading
• 2002/07/11 Legislative proposal published
  • COM(2002)0375 summary

    PURPOSE : to amend Directive 94/35/EC, adding to the list of sweeteners in food. CONTENT : Directive 94/35/EC on sweeteners for use in foodstuffs sets out a list of authorised sweeteners, the foodstuffs in which they may be used and their conditions for use. It needs to be adapted in the light of recent technical and scientific developments. The major amendments proposed are as follows: -authorization of two new sweeteners: sucralose and the salt of aspertame and acesulfame. The first is a sweetener manufactured by controlled chlorination of sucrose and around 500-600 times sweeter than sugar. It is currently approved in several other countries, including Canada, Australia, Japan and the US. The manufacturer claims several specific benefits for sucralose, when compared with other sweeteners currently authorised, including the fact that its flavour profile indicates that is very similar to sugar, with less side or after tastes often associated with intense sweeteners. It blends well with sugars, is stable during high temperature processing and during long term storage. The salt of aspertame and acesulfame is a salt of two already authorised sweeteners, aspertame and acesulfame K. It is manufactured from these two substances by replacing the potassium ion of acesulfame K by aspertame. The Scientific Committee on food has stated that the use of the substance raises no additional safety concerns. The manufacturer has claimed several benefits for the salt of aspertame and acesulfame when compared with the blend of these two substances. Amongst these is the fact that the component sweeteners cannot separate and a fixed ration is guaranteed, which leads to more consistent product quality. The use of the salt is consequently proposed for the food categories where both aspertame and acesulfame K are authorised. The usable doses for the salt are derived from the lower of the usable doses for the two constituent parts, aspertame and acesulfame K. The maximum usable doses for the latter will, however, not be exceeded by their use in combination with the salt. -monitoring of authorised sweeteners, reduction of the intake of cyclamates. The Scientific Committee on Food has re-evaluated the safety of cyclamic acid and its sodium and calcium salts. It is proposed to reduce the maximum usable dose for cyclamates by banning or reducing its use in certain food categories. -the Commission will have the power to decide whether a substance is a sweetener within the meaning of this directive. �

  • DG [{'url': 'http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/index_en.htm', 'title': 'Health and Consumers'}],

Documents

• Legislative proposal published: COM(2002)0375
• Committee report tabled for plenary, 1st reading/single reading: A5-0049/2003
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T5-0183/2003
• Modified legislative proposal published: COM(2003)0277
• Council position published: 09714/1/2003
• Committee recommendation tabled for plenary, 2nd reading: A5-0345/2003
• Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
• Decision by Parliament, 2nd reading: T5-0445/2003
• : Directive 2003/115
• : OJ L 024 29.01.2004, p. 0065-0071

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)