Exploitation and marketing of natural mineral waters

The rapporteur, Mr FLORENZ (EPP, D), submitted his report in the form of a purely technical presentation. The Council had taken over five of the seven amendments tabled by Parliament at first reading. It had accepted, among other things, that the directive referred to ‘spring water’ as mineral water. The two amendments adopted in parliamentary committee were aimed at strengthening the reference to spring water. Commissioner BANGEMANN said that he was having problems in understanding why they were going back on some of the points that had been accepted in the common position. As a result the Commission was unable to accept those amendments whose content was already included in the common position. The same also applied to Amendments Nos 2, 3, 4 and 5.