Detalj anmälan | TRIS - European Commission

Kunglig förordning om reklam för drycker som innehåller alkohol

Anmälningsnummer:

2024/0032/BE (Belgium)

Inkommet datum:

19/01/2024

Slut på frysning:

22/04/2024 (22/07/2024) (withdrawn)

Översändande av kommentarer av:

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Spain

Bulgaria

Portugal

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Meddelande 001

Meddelande från kommissionen - TRIS/(2024) 0175

Direktiv (EU) 2015/1535

Anmälan: 2024/0032/BE

Anmälan av ett utkast till text från en medlemsstat

Notification – Notification – Notifzierung – Нотификация – Oznámení – Notifikation – Γνωστοποίηση – Notificación – Teavitamine – Ilmoitus – Obavijest – Bejelentés – Notifica – Pranešimas – Paziņojums – Notifika – Kennisgeving – Zawiadomienie – Notificação – Notificare – Oznámenie – Obvestilo – Anmälan – Fógra a thabhairt

Does not open the delays - N'ouvre pas de délai - Kein Fristbeginn - Не се предвижда период на прекъсване - Nezahajuje prodlení - Fristerne indledes ikke - Καμμία έναρξη προθεσμίας - No abre el plazo - Viivituste perioodi ei avata - Määräaika ei ala tästä - Ne otvara razdoblje kašnjenja - Nem nyitja meg a késéseket - Non fa decorrere la mora - Atidėjimai nepradedami - Atlikšanas laikposms nesākas - Ma jiftaħx il-perijodi ta’ dewmien - Geen termijnbegin - Nie otwiera opóźnień - Não inicia o prazo - Nu deschide perioadele de stagnare - Nezačína oneskorenia - Ne uvaja zamud - Inleder ingen frist - Ní osclaíonn sé na moilleanna

MSG: 20240175.SV

1. MSG 001 IND 2024 0032 BE SV 19-01-2024 BE NOTIF

2. Belgium

3A. SPF Economie, PME, Classes moyennes et Energie
Direction générale Qualité et Sécurité - Service Bureau de Liaison - BELNotif
NG III – 2ème étage
Boulevard du Roi Albert II, 16
B - 1000 Bruxelles
be.belnotif@economie.fgov.be

3B. Service public fédéral Santé publique, Sécurité de la Chaîne alimentaire et Environnement
Direction Générale Animaux, Végétaux et Alimentation
Service inspection produits de consommation
Avenue Galilée 5/2, 1210 Bruxelles, Belgique
tel.: 02 524 73 73 et 02/ 524 74 73
stephanie.dehalleux@health.fgov.be & eugenie.bertrand@health.fgov.be

4. 2024/0032/BE - C50A - Livsmedel

5. Kunglig förordning om reklam för drycker som innehåller alkohol

6. Drycker som innehåller alkohol

7.

8. Detta utkast till kunglig förordning förbjuder reklam för drycker som innehåller alkohol i media som främst riktar sig till minderåriga.

Vissa förbud följer av avtalet om reklam för och marknadsföring av drycker som innehåller alkohol. Det gäller artiklarna 2–5.

Detta utkast till kunglig förordning förbjuder också gratis utdelning av drycker som innehåller alkohol, med undantag för i samband med inköp av en dryck som innehåller alkohol och under provsmakningar.

Syftet med detta utkast till kunglig förordning är också att införa en hälsovarning i all reklam för drycker som innehåller alkohol. Endast hälsovarningar som fastställts av ministern får förekomma i reklamen. Andra fraser, hälsovarningar eller andra typer av varningar får därför inte längre förekomma i reklamen. Detta inkluderar fraserna som föreskrivs i avtalet om reklam för och marknadsföring av drycker som innehåller alkohol.

9. Med tanke på farorna med alkoholkonsumtion (risk för hjärt- och kärlsjukdomar, skadligt bruk, cancer, bestående påverkan på hjärnan etc. – risker som inte behöver några ytterligare bevis), särskilt för minderåriga, och med tanke på att reklam (som för närvarande är allmänt förekommande) har en betydande inverkan på konsumenterna, särskilt ungdomar, bör reklam för drycker som innehåller alkohol i medier och press som riktar sig till minderåriga förbjudas.

Det är också nödvändigt att förbjuda utdelning av drycker som innehåller alkohol under vissa omständigheter för att inte förmå konsumenterna att konsumera en alkoholhaltig dryck som de inte har valt att köpa.
För att bättre informera allmänheten om farorna med alkohol ska hälsovarningar vara obligatoriska i reklam för denna typ av dryck.

10. Hänvisningar till grundtexter: Det finns inga referenstexter.

11. Nej

12.

13. Nej

14. Nej

15. Nej

16.
TBT-aspekt: Nej

SPS-aspekt: Nej

**********
Europeiska kommissionen
Kontaktadress Direktiv (EU) 2015/1535
e-post: grow-dir2015-1535-central@ec.europa.eu

Disclosed messages

message-id	Året	Nummer	Land	Type	Title	Inkommet datum	Is answer to
106809	2024	0176	COMEuropeiska kommissionen	003	Receipt of the draft text	19-01-2024
106810	2024	0177	COMEuropeiska kommissionen	037	Competitiveness analysis	19-01-2024
106945	2024	0278	COMEuropeiska kommissionen	301	Request for supplementary information	01-02-2024
106957	2024	0290	BEBelgium	201	Answer of the notifying Member State	02-02-2024	2024-278
107851	2024	1015	DKDenmark	101	Request for supplementary information	15-04-2024
107863	2024	1027	COMEuropeiska kommissionen	303	Comments	15-04-2024
107866	2024	1030	BEBelgium	201	Answer of the notifying Member State	16-04-2024	2024-1015
107878	2024	1042	ITItaly	115	Classical Detailed Opinion	17-04-2024
107882	2024	1046	ESSpain	103	Comments	17-04-2024
107902	2024	1051	RORomania	115	Classical Detailed Opinion	18-04-2024
107905	2024	1054	BGBulgaria	103	Comments	19-04-2024
107910	2024	1059	CZCzechia	115	Classical Detailed Opinion	19-04-2024
107918	2024	1067	PTPortugal	103	Comments	22-04-2024
107919	2024	1068	HRCroatia	103	Comments	22-04-2024
108433	2024	1521	BEBelgium	007	Communication: General Information from the Commission or Member States	11-06-2024
108435	2024	1523	COMEuropeiska kommissionen	009	Closure of Information procedure	12-06-2024

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Following TRIS notification 2024/0032/BE, Member States and the European Commission are encouraged to issue a detailed opinion requesting that Belgium:-

Withdraw its draft decree on the basis that it is incomplete and does not allow Member States of the European Commission to properly assess the impact the proposed measures may have on the Single Market.
Wait until the European Commission has published its draft proposal on the labelling of alcoholic beverages.
Only re-notify a draft decree under the conditions that it considers the below-listed elements and provides clear technical specifications that can be properly assessed by the European Commission and Member States.

Introduction

First and foremost, we fully support the need to encourage responsible drinking and to restrict alcohol advertising to minors. The advertising of alcoholic beverages across the EU is already regulated comprehensively by both statutory regulation, such as the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) or the EU Directive on unfair commercial practices, and through industry self-regulation based on national codes of conduct and enforced by self-regulatory bodies across Europe. The co-regulatory regime, as envisaged by the AVMSD, ensures that alcohol advertising is not targeted at minors and does not encourage immoderate consumption.

Incomplete TRIS notification

The draft decree does not contain enough information on the proposed measures and should be withdrawn.

The draft decree that has been notified is incomplete as it lacks important information that could help the European Commission and the Member States to take an informed position. The following important information is missing from the draft decree:

Full clarification of the scope (see below for further details).
No details are provided on the content of the health message.
No indication of the date of entry into force and date of application, and whether a transition period (and the length thereof) would be allowed.

Therefore, the notification by the Belgian government does not meet the expected standards from a TRIS notification that should allow the European Commission and Member States to have at their disposal the necessary information[1]. Consequently, the Belgian government should withdraw its draft decree and only resubmit it once it contains the actual details upon which the European Commission and Member States can take an informed position.

Other important considerations the Belgian government should consider.

Undefined and wide-ranging scope extending beyond advertising.

The definition of “advertising” as provided in Article 1, paragraph 1, of the draft decree and especially its last sentence (“the affixing of a mark or logo shall also be regarded as advertising”) can be understood as applying to absolutely all media, platforms and forms, ranging from traditional advertising (on TV, on the radio, in print and online publications) to branded glassware, clothing, or the label of a bottle or can. The scope is all-encompassing, going beyond traditional advertising and therefore undefined. The definition to be provided in any revised decree should be clearly framed, specific and actionable.

Provisions related to the health information message.

Article 7 of the draft decree foresees that “All advertising for beverages containing alcohol shall contain a health information message, the content and form of which shall be laid down by the Minister. Only health information messages laid down by the Minister may be mentioned on advertisements; any other health message, educational slogan or other wording is prohibited.”. The wording of this article contains several flaws and unintended consequences the Belgian government should address in a revised decree to be resubmitted.

The draft decree does not contain any provisions concerning the date of entry into force, the date of application or whether a transition period is foreseen (and the length thereof). This key set of information should be added to a revised decree to be renotified via the TRIS procedure.
No technical specifications are shared concerning the content or the form of the health information messages. Therefore, neither Member States nor the European Commission can assess whether the requested health information message would represent any barrier to trade and whether these potential trade barriers would be proportionate and justified. As a consequence, the Belgian government should withdraw its draft decree and only resubmit once the detailed provisions are clearly defined.
Considering the current inadequately defined scope of the decree (see Article 1, paragraph 1 of the draft decree), the provisions could also be interpreted as applying to the labelling of alcoholic beverages. The European Commission is currently working on publishing a proposal for the labelling of alcoholic beverages as part of the EU Beating Cancer Plan that was announced in 2021. Whilst the publication of this proposal has been delayed (initially scheduled for the end of 2022), the Commission hired a consultancy, ICF, to prepare a Study on the Effectiveness of Health Information on Alcoholic Beverages that will feed into the Commission’s proposal on the matter. Therefore, since the European Commission has expressed its intention to publish a proposal on the matter, considering Article[2] 6 Paragraph 3 of the Directive, the Belgian government should withdraw its decree and wait for the European Commission’s proposal on the matter to secure a harmonised approach at EU-level and avoid unnecessary barriers to trade.
Moreover, the current Belgian provisions foresee that any other health information message, educational slogan, or wording should be prohibited. This represents an issue as many operators in the industry are providing additional voluntary information that may not be covered by the as yet undefined health information message. Furtherrmore, many operators produce in markets where such messages are already mandatory and – whilst possibly different in terms of format – are aligned in terms of scope, intentions, and effects. Therefore, this provision may result in:
- A decreased level of information for the consumers.
- A disproportionate and unjustified barrier to trade as operators exporting to Belgium would have to redesign their labels and other material on which the brand or company logo appears, even if the messages they currently share either on a voluntary and/or on a mandatory basis are similar to the intended message foreseen by the draft decree.

Therefore, based on all the above-listed elements, the Belgian government should:

Withdraw its draft decree on the basis that it is incomplete and does not allow Member States or the European Commission to properly assess the impact the proposed measures may have on the Single Market.
Wait until the Commission has published its draft proposal on the labelling of alcoholic beverages.
Only re-notify a draft decree under the conditions that it considers the above-listed elements and provides clear technical specifications that can be properly assessed by the Commission and Member States.

[1] Directive (EU) 2015/1535 laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical regulations and of rules on Information Society services (codification), Recital 5: “It is essential for the Commission to have the necessary information at its disposal before the adoption of technical provisions. Consequently, the Member States, which are required to facilitate the achievement of its task pursuant to Article 4(3) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), must notify it of their projects in the field of technical regulations.”

[2] Directive (EU) 2015/1535 laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical regulations and of rules on Information Society services (codification), article 6, paragraph 3: “With the exclusion of draft rules relating to services, Member States shall postpone the adoption of a draft technical regulation for 12 months from the date of receipt by the Commission of the communication referred to in Article 5(1) of this Directive, if, within three months of that date, the Commission announces its intention to propose or adopt a directive, regulation or decision on the matter in accordance with Article 288 TFEU.”

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Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins, CEEV, welcomes the opportunity to provide comments to the draft Royal Decree “on advertising of beverages containing alcohol” notified by Belgian authorities to the European Commission through the TRIS process in January 2024.

CEEV represents the European Union wine companies in the industry and trade (still wines, aromatised wines, sparkling wines, liqueur wines and other vine products). It brings together 25 national organisations from 13 EU Member States, plus Switzerland, the UK and Ukraine, as well as a consortium of 4 leading European wine companies. The companies represented by CEEV, mainly SMEs, produce and market most quality European wines, both with and without a geographical indication, and account for over 90% of European wine exports

The wine sector shares the objective of the Belgian inter-federal strategy to fight harmful and excessive use of alcohol 2023 – 2028 and is strongly committed to promote moderate and responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages and to fight harmful use of alcohol.

The Belgian royal decree provides only very limited elements for member States, European Commission and stakeholders to assess not only what specific provisions will be adopted and implemented but also on the scope of application of the future legislation.

CEEV is sharing the following concerns and considerations that are developed in nore details in the enclosed document.

The draft Royal Decree contains very limited elements related to future provisions with a lack of clarity related to the health information message and ambiguity in the definition of “advertising”.
Risk undermining ongoing coherent EU legislation harmonization related to health warnings
As put forward in the draft Royal decree future provisions will represent a barrier to trade in breach of EU law that will undermine the Single Market
Article 7 “only the message laid down by the Minister may be displayed” will represent a major problem in relation to national and European legislations or voluntary initiatives already into force or to be adopted in the near future.
Messages concerning wine consumption and health should be based on scientific evidence and avoid oversimplifications or misleading assertions

Considering the above, CEEV requests the European Commission and EU Member States to issue, under the TRIS procedure, a detailed opinion on the Belgian royal decree to block its adoption.

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FEV welcomes the opportunity to provide comments to the draft Royal Decree “on advertising of beverages containing alcohol”.

The wine sector shares the objective of the Belgian inter-federal strategy to fight harmful and excessive use of alcohol 2023 – 2028 and is strongly committed (notably through the coordination of Wine in Moderation) to promote moderate and responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages, to fight harmful use of alcohol, and to reduce the exposure of minors to audiovisual commercial communications for alcoholic beverages. It is worth to mention that these aspects are already addressed by legislation and by self-regulatory advertising codes at both European and national levels.

The Belgian Royal Decree provides only very limited elements to assess not only what specific provisions will be adopted and implemented, but also on the scope of application of the future legislation; and we consider that it presents several flaws that are detailed in the enclosed document:

Firstly, the draft decree currently lacks comprehensive information regarding future provisions, posing challenges for stakeholders to provide specific feedback; and more specifically, it lacks clarity about the health information message and the definition of advertising.

Secondly, it risks undermining coherent EU legislation harmonization regarding health warnings for alcoholic beverages, as well as the impact and efficiency of such measures; a topic on which the European Commission is currently working, and the European Parliament has already addressed in a resolution.

In addition, the requirements outlined in the Belgian draft decree, particularly concerning the definition of advertising, may involve adjusting the labels of imported products to comply with Belgian laws, which will impose burdensome administrative and financial challenges to operators and may become a barrier to trade in breach of EU law that undermines the Single Market.

Moreover, the requirement to only display the health information message laid down by the Minister (Article 7) may present challenges and potential conflicts with legislative initiatives at EU or national level, as well as private sector ones.

Finally, the notification message fails to differentiate between moderate alcohol consumption and harmful alcohol use, overlooking decades of scientific research on the subject. Emphasizing the importance of moderation and responsible consumption while acknowledging the harm related to harmful use of alcohol is crucial for promoting informed decision-making among consumers.

In light of the above, FEV requests the European Commission and EU Member States to issue, under the TRIS procedure, a detailed opinion on the Belgian royal decree to block its adoption.

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UIV welcomes the opportunity to provide comments to the draft Royal Decree “on advertising of beverages containing alcohol”.

In light of the above, UIV requests the European Commission and EU Member States to issue, under the TRIS procedure, a detailed opinion on the Belgian royal decree to block its adoption.

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ACIBEV welcomes the opportunity to provide comments to the draft Royal Decree “on advertising of beverages containing alcohol” notified by Belgian authorities to the European Commission through the TRIS process in January 2024.

In light of the above, ACIBEV requests the European Commission and EU Member States to issue, under the TRIS procedure, a detailed opinion on the Belgian royal decree to block its adoption.

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The following is an Addendum to the Submission of The Brewers of Europe, published 21 March 2024, on the TRIS notification of a Belgian Royal Decree on advertising of beverages containing alcohol

The scope of the Royal Decree, specifically its Articles 1(1) and 7, is unclear. We would expect it to be limited to advertising only. However, as stated in our original submission, given the current wording and lack of any additional information, the provisions could also be interpreted as applying to the labelling / packaging of alcoholic beverages. This would seem erroneous.

In this respect, we note that the Belgian government indicated in the TRIS Notification of the Royal Decree that it does not consider the measure to entail any relevant Technical Barriers to Trade (“TBT”) aspects. Moreover, the Belgian government has not (or at least not yet) notified the Royal Decree to the World Trade Organization (“WTO”) TBT Committee under the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (“TBT Agreement”)[1].

As labelling requirements would evidently entail relevant TBT aspects,[2] this seems to confirm the Royal Decree does not intend to cover labelling. We would like to highlight the following:

If the Royal Decree is indeed not intended to cover labelling, Belgium should clarify the exact scope of the Royal Decree to avoid any confusion.
Belgium should confirm that the provisions on the health information message do not apply to the labelling of alcoholic beverages but only to advertising (i.e., that the labelling / packaging of alcoholic beverages is outside the scope of the Royal Decree).
This will require an amendment of the wording of Article 1(1) – and potentially Article 7 – of the Royal Decree to clearly exclude labelling from the scope, for the sake of clarity.

If, by contrast, the Royal Decree is intended to also cover labelling, it should be notified to the TBT Committee pursuant to the TBT Agreement, that specifically and explicitly mentions “labelling requirements”.

This would allow WTO Members the possibility to submit comments or raise trade concerns concerning the Royal Decree.
Pursuant to Article 2.9.2 of the TBT Agreement, such notification “shall take place at an early appropriate stage, when amendments can still be introduced and comments taken into account”. This thus needs to take place well before the Royal Decree is adopted.

[1] Publicly available at: https://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/17-tbt_e.htm

[2] See definition of Technical Regulation as laid down in Annex 1: Terms and their Definitions for the Purpose of this Agreement, referring to “[d]ocument which lays down product characteristics or their related processes and production methods, including the applicable administrative provisions, with which compliance is mandatory. It may also include or deal exclusively with terminology, symbols, packaging, marking or labelling requirements as they apply to a product, process or production method.” (emphasis added)

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Union of Brewers in Bulgaria (UBB) is the national representative organization of beer, malt and hop producers of the country. Its members brew 99% of the beer volume of Bulgaria and 100% of malt and hops production. UBB is a proud member of The Brewers of Europe, which unites 29 national associations and Europe’s 10, 000 breweries. The Bulgarian beer producers firmly support and participate in the pioneering voluntary initiative of the Brewers of Europe Beer Pledge which includes commitments on responsible consumption, prevention of misuse and responsible commercial communications. In 2019, all members of the Brewers of Europe signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, committing all of us to labelling ingredients and energy values on beer bottles and cans, according to Reg (EU) No 1169/2011 (#ProudToBeClear).

Since 2009 in collaboration with government institutions, municipal authorities, NGOs and media Bulgarian brewers proactively implement a branch CSR programme. Its initiatives help to reduce alcohol related harm, addressing prevention of underage drinking, responsible driving, self-regulatory (SR) rules for responsible advertising and marketing of beer. During the years the prevention campaigns’ scope, partnerships and communications are sustainably upgraded and results of them are publicly reported by UBB every year.

As a representative of a highly responsible, united and transparent industry the UBB takes the opportunity to submit a Statement on the Belgium’s draft Royal Decree on alcohol advertising. The presented comments are mainly on Articles 1 and 7 which provisions will lead to serious bans in relation to national and European legislation, co-regulation and voluntary commitments of brewers addressing alcohol misuse, responsible drinking and consumers information.

The definition of “advertising” in Article 1, paragraph 1 of the Belgium’s draft Royal Decree can be applied to the whole range of advertising including even brand logo, packaging labelling, pictograms etc. In the same time the wording of Article 7 related to the health information message requests that “all advertising for where the main attention and comments are focused on beverages containing alcohol shall contain a health information message, the content and form of which shall be laid down by the Minister. Only health information messages laid down by the Ministry may be mentioned on advertisements; any other health message, educational slogan or other wording is prohibited.” The said provision means that any additional information would be prohibited.

Also it can restrict the industry’s ability to educate consumers about responsible drinking or respecting Regulation 1169/2011 voluntary to present a list of ingredients and nutrition information on beer. Brewers as a SR commitment have been rolling out ingredients listing and energy information since 2015. In 2018 that commitment was further upgraded with a recommendation to all breweries to list ingredients and calories per 100ml on the beer labels. Following the MoU 2019 and Brewers’ Ambition 2022 goals last year at the EU market 95% of beer volumes sold in cans and bottles were labelling ingredients and over 90% were labelling energy according to Reg (EU) No 1169/2011.

Through this SR initiative 100% of beers produced in Bulgaria are labelled with list of ingredients and energy value. In this regard that voluntary implementation of nutrition labelling on the alcoholic beverages and mainly of beer will be in collision with the proposal of the Belgium’s draft Royal Decree. We believe this will create a barrier to trade within the internal market. Article 7 may present further challenges and conflicts on the national legislation in other member states, may limit voluntary commitments to discourage alcohol misuse and may negatively impact the work of the European Commission on its proposal for labelling of alcoholic beverages.

In light of the above expressed concerns and the herewith enclosed statement, the Union of Brewers in Bulgaria kindly propose the European Commission to assess the impact the proposed measures may have on the Single Market and to wait until the EC has published its draft proposal on the labelling of alcohol beverages.

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Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de España agradecemos poder realizar comentarios al proyecto de Real Decreto de Bélgica sobre la publicidad de bebidas alcohólicas

Desde Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de España, compartimos la importancia de evitar el consumo de bebidas alcohólicas entre los menores de edad.

Es importante poner el foco en la prevención, educación y en la venta de bebidas alcohólicas que impidan tener acceso a los menores.

En todo caso, hemos de diferenciar claramente el consumo de alcohol entre menores y el consumo moderado y responsable de vino en adultos. No debemos penalizar el consumo moderado de vino entre los adultos

El proyecto de decreto notificado por las autoridades belgas está incompleto y no proporciona información sobre el contenido, el lugar, el formato del mensaje sanitario ni el ámbito de aplicación de la legislación. Tampoco indica la fecha de entrada en vigor ni la fecha de aplicación, ni si se permitirá un periodo de transición. Esta falta de información contrasta totalmente con lo dispuesto en la Directiva 2015/1535 de la UE, que garantiza que los Estados miembros y la Comisión europea dispongan de toda la información necesaria para detectar, analizar y medir los riesgos para la salud pública. Esta limitación impediría un correcto procedimiento de evaluación por parte de las instituciones responsables y un análisis equilibrado de los efectos reales que el decreto implicaría para la economía.

En el artículo 1 del proyecto de decreto, la definición de "publicidad" y especialmente su última frase "la colocación de una marca o logotipo también se considerará publicidad" puede interpretarse como aplicable a absolutamente todos los medios, plataformas y formas (etiquetado en la botella incluido). El ámbito de aplicación no está claro, lo que genera ambigüedad jurídica. Esta incertidumbre impide a las partes interesadas anticipar con precisión el impacto potencial de la próxima legislación.

El artículo 7 establece que "toda publicidad de bebidas que contengan alcohol deberá incluir un mensaje de información sanitaria, cuyo contenido y forma serán establecidos por el Ministro. Sólo los mensajes de información sanitaria establecidos por el Ministro podrán mencionarse en los anuncios; se prohíbe cualquier otro mensaje de información sanitaria, eslogan educativo u otra formulación". Esta disposición crea incertidumbre e inseguridad jurídica entre los operadores

Actualmente, la información sanitaria sobre bebidas alcohólicas aún no está regulada en la legislación de la UE. La Comisión se ha fijado el objetivo de reducir el consumo nocivo de alcohol. El plan europeo "Vencer el cáncer" menciona la posibilidad de replantear las advertencias sanitarias. Además, el Parlamento Europeo aprobó el informe "Reforzar Europa en la lucha contra el cáncer", en el que se afirma que "el Parlamento Europeo apoya que se ofrezca mejor información a los consumidores mejorando el etiquetado de las bebidas alcohólicas para que incluya información sobre el consumo moderado y responsable e introduciendo la indicación obligatoria de la lista de ingredientes y la información nutricional y, además, introduciendo el etiquetado digital".

Las iniciativas unilaterales de los Estados miembros, como el proyecto de decreto notificado por Bélgica, socavan los futuros esfuerzos de armonización a escala de la UE.

Los requisitos propuestos en el proyecto de decreto sobre la definición de publicidad impondrán obligaciones a los productores de alcohol que vendan sus productos en Bélgica. En función de la interpretación que se haga de esta normativa sobre publicidad, será necesario modificar el etiquetado para ajustarlo a la legislación belga.

Dichas adaptaciones implicarán la modificación de etiquetas que anteriormente se ajustaban a la normativa del Estado miembro exportador. Estas adaptaciones, junto con la edición y la impresión de miles de etiquetas nuevas, aumentarán aún más el coste financiero y medioambiental de la importación de bebidas alcohólicas en el mercado belga, así como la carga administrativa para las empresas, en particular las PYME.

Por lo tanto, el proyecto de decreto restringiría el acceso de productos de otros Estados miembros a Bélgica y reduciría la fluidez del mercado único. Esto constituye una medida de efecto equivalente a una restricción cuantitativa y un obstáculo al comercio, lo que está prohibido por el artículo 34 del TFUE.

Además, en caso de que se permitiera y de que otros Estados miembros siguieran su ejemplo adoptando medidas unilaterales similares, las divergencias resultantes causarían importantes obstáculos al comercio en toda la UE y conducirían a una fragmentación del mercado único.

En consecuencia, Bélgica debe retirar su proyecto de decreto.

Por lo anteriormente expuesto, desde Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de España, consideramos incoherente el Real Decreto con los Tratados de la UE en la medida en que crea una barrera al comercio de productos dentro del Mercado Único. Además, la información incompleta de la que carece el proyecto de Real Decreto impediría a las instituciones responsables evaluar las consecuencias reales del Real Decreto para el mercado.

CEVI, the European Confederation of Independent Winegrowers, is the only organisation representing and defending the interests of independent winegrowers at European level. Independent winegrowers are entrepreneurs at the head of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), often a family business. They make everything from the vineyard to the table, meaning that they produce and sell their wines directly to the consumer. CEVI counts today 12,000 members from 11 different States.

On 19 January 2024, Belgium notified the European Commission (‘Commission’) of its intention to adopt secondary legislation on advertising of beverages containing alcohol (‘the draft decree’), under the Technical Regulations Information System (‘TRIS’) notification process. In particular, the draft decree aims at:

Prohibiting advertisements for beverages containing alcohol in the media primarily aimed at minors;
Prohibiting the free distribution of beverages containing alcohol except with the purchase of a beverage containing alcohol and during tastings;
Imposing a health warning on all advertisements for beverages containing alcohol.

CEVI would like to provide its remarks to the TRIS notification 2024/0032/BE of the Royal Decree on advertising of beverages containing alcohol.

Incomplete TRIS notification

The draft decree notified by Belgian authorities is incomplete and fails to provide information about the content or the format of the health message, further clarification of the scope of the legislation, and remains silent about the date of entry into force, and whether a transition period would be allowed.

This lack of clarity is in total contradiction with the provisions of EU Directive 2015/1535, which guarantee that the Member States and the European Commission have all the information they need to detect, analyse, and measure potential obstacles within the internal market in order to avoid their negative effects.

These missing elements restrict the European Commission, the Member States and stakeholders’ ability to assess the draft decree. Therefore, the Belgian government should withdraw its draft decree and only resubmit it once it contains the actual details upon which the European Commission and Member States can take an informed position.

Unclear Definition of ‘Advertising’

In Article 1 of the draft decree, the definition of ‘advertising’ and especially its last sentence ‘the affixing of a mark or logo shall also be regarded as advertising’ can be interpreted as applying to absolutely all media, platforms and forms. The scope is not clear, leading to legal ambiguity. This uncertainty impedes stakeholders’ capacity to anticipate precisely the potential impact of the forthcoming legislation.

It is crucial to clarify this definition to ensure a good understanding of the draft decree. The definition to be provided in any revised decree must be precise and clearly framed.

Moderate and responsible drinking information and health warnings

Article 7 states that ‘All advertising for beverages containing alcohol shall contain a health information message, the content and form of which shall be laid down by the Minister. Only health information messages laid down by the Minister may be mentioned on advertisements; any other health message, educational slogan or other wording is prohibited.’

Currently, health warnings for wine and alcoholic beverages are not yet regulated within the EU legislation. The Commission has set up the objective to reduce harmful use of alcohol. Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan mentions the possibility to rethink health warnings. Moreover, the European Parliament adopted the report on ‘strengthening Europe in the fight against cancer’ which states that ‘the European Parliament supports the provision of better information to consumers by improving the labelling of alcohol beverages to include moderate and responsible drinking information and introducing the mandatory indication of the list of ingredients and nutritional information, and in addition, by introducing digital labelling.’

Considering the current inadequately defined scope of the draft decree, Article 7 could also be understood as applying to the labelling of alcoholic beverages. CEVI is supportive of the new regulation on wine labelling of ingredients and nutritional declaration. But unilateral initiatives by Member States, such as the draft decree notified by Belgium, could undermine these EU-wide efforts and the EU Single Market.

Barrier to trade in breach of EU law that undermines the Single Market

The requirements proposed in the draft decree about the definition of advertising will impose obligations on independent winegrowers selling their wines in Belgium. Depending on the interpretation of these advertising regulations, it will necessitate modifications of the labelling of these wines to comply with Belgian laws.

Such adjustments will involve modifying labels that were previously compliant with regulations in the exporting Member State. These adaptations, with the editing and the printing of thousands of new labels will further increase the financial and environmental cost of importing wines on the Belgian market, and the administrative burden on businesses, in particular SMEs.

Therefore the draft decree would restrict the access of products from other Member States to Belgium and reduce the fluidity of the single market. This constitutes a measure having an effect equivalent to a quantitative restriction and a barrier to trade, which is prohibited by Article 34 TFEU.

In addition, should this be allowed and if other Member States follow suit in adopting similar unilateral measures, the resulting divergences would cause significant barriers to trade all across the EU and would lead to the fragmentation of the single market.

As a consequence, Belgium must withdraw its draft decree.

In the light of the above, the draft decree’s unclear provisions prevent from anticipating precisely the potential impact of the forthcoming legislation and its impact on the independent winegrowers and the single market. CEVI therefore urges the European Commission and Member States to block the adoption of the draft decree.

If the Belgian government were to resubmit a draft decree, it should consider the listed elements and provide clear technical specifications that can be properly assessed by stakeholders’, the Commission and Member States.

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