Exploitation and marketing of natural mineral waters

The amended proposal incorporated Parliament's amendments concerning: - the duration of the validity of certification recognising waters from third countries (five years); - the removal of the paragraph doing away with Article 9(4) of Directive 80/777/EEC. Furthermore, subject to changes in the form, the Commission also accepted the amendments concerning: - the treatments authorised for use with natural mineral waters, which should be clarified; - the requirements relating to the reference to treatments used for natural mineral waters, with a view to providing better protection for the consumer; - the rules relating to the definition of "spring water", on condition that it was clear that spring water would continue to come under the general regulations applied to all drinking water, as set out in Directive 80/778/EEC. The Commission did not accept the amendment stipulating that the toxic parameters to be applied to the quality of water intended for human consumption contained in Directive 80/778/EEC should also be applied to natural mineral waters. �