Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-03-14-Speech-2-066"
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"en.20000314.4.2-066"2
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"Mr President, on the present issue I represent a minority of the members of the Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left. I consider that there is really no need for this directive and that it is unnecessary. I think it is absolutely excellent that we should have different rules about chocolate in different Member States. In this area there is no need for harmonisation at EU level. Instead, the previous system can be retained.
If there is in fact to be harmonisation, which is what the Council of Ministers appears to have opted for, I think it is better to allow content of up to five per cent of vegetable fats other than cocoa butter. In that way, you can still have both sorts of chocolate and choose which you want to buy according to personal taste or national tradition. The alternative, that is to say of prohibiting other vegetable fats, means also prohibiting a large quantity of chocolate products which people like and are used to eating. I think that is completely unnecessary. What is, however, important is that chocolate should be clearly labelled, which is something I think has been provided for in the proposal, and that consumers should be able to choose which products they in fact want to purchase and eat.
Nor is it certain that the Third World, all in all, would benefit from other vegetable fats being prohibited as added ingredients. For one thing, other tropical fats such as shea butter would be treated unfairly, and certain countries would in that way suffer. For another, the total market for chocolate products would probably decrease and thereby also, perhaps, the level of consumption of cocoa butter.
My conclusion is that I should ideally like to see the old arrangement maintained, with different rules in different countries. However, since that is no longer possible, I think that the common position is acceptable."@en1
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