Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-03-14-Speech-2-063"
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"en.20000314.4.2-063"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, generally speaking, chocolate is credited with producing pleasurable moments and helping to create peace and goodwill amongst men. The chocolate directive is proving very much the exception within Parliament and the European Union, for it is a controversial issue and has unleashed emotions that have been seen nowhere more clearly than in today’s debate. Mr Maaten spoke of agony: yes, it certainly has been, and it is time we put a stop to it.
Yet the matter is actually quite simple. We always talk in terms of what might happen. There are two chocolate markets in the single European internal market. To reinforce the point again: there is already chocolate containing the disputed 5% of other vegetable fats, and there are countries where it is prohibited to add these fats, with the exception of cocoa butter. There is legal uncertainty and a lack of clarity within this market, from the point of view of the market operator as well as that of the consumer. This must be tackled. This situation cannot be allowed to continue, Mr Lannoye, whether it is in the interests of the multinationals or not. I have spoken to medium-sized enterprises. They would be happy if this directive was at long last to come into force.
Turning to Parliament’s demands: Parliament has called for labelling, with the label being separate from the list of ingredients. We have been calling for this for a long time now. Parliament has said we need a method of verification. ISPRA has demonstrated that a method of verification is already in place. After all, we test eco-apples at the location where they are produced, and not at the market. The same could apply to chocolate as I see it.
Of course, the question as to what effect this will have on the developing countries always looms large in this debate. There is an open letter that expresses the thought that the chocolate directive is the last nail in the coffin of 11 million people in western Africa. I think it is extremely irresponsible to distort the facts and inject an emotional note into the debate in this way. After all, it is quite clear: we called for this list because it comes from the developing countries. It is easy to see that developing countries still stand to benefit.
I am pleased that the common position has achieved a majority. Let us give consumers the choice and create greater diversity through unity within the internal market for chocolate – whilst preserving legal certainty – by rejecting the proposed amendments and endorsing the common position."@en1
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