COUNCIL DECISION (EU) 2024/1811

of 20 June 2024

on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Council of Members of the International Olive Council (IOC), as regards two methods of analyses and the IOC trade standard for olive oils and olive pomace oils

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 207(4), first subparagraph, in conjunction with Article 218(9) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

(1) The International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, 2015 (the ‘Agreement’) was concluded on behalf of the Union by Council Decision (EU) 2019/848 (1).

(2) Pursuant to Article 7(1) of the Agreement, the Council of Members of the International Olive Council (the ‘Council of Members’) is to take decisions and adopt recommendations for the application of the provisions of the Agreement.

(3) At its 119th session, to be held between 18 and 25 June 2024, the Council of Members is to adopt a decision amending the trade standard for olive oils and olive pomace oils, a decision to update methods for the organoleptic assessment of virgin olive oils and a decision to correct the method to determine the content of waxes and ethyl esters of fatty acids by capillary column gas chromatography.

(4) The decisions to be adopted at the 119th session of the Council of Members have been extensively discussed by scientific and technical experts on olive oil of the Commission and of the Member States. The decisions will contribute to the international harmonisation of standards for olive oils and will establish a framework which will ensure fair competition in the trading of products of the olive oil sector. The Union should therefore support the adoption of the decisions.

(5) It is appropriate to establish the position to be taken on behalf of the Union within the Council of Members, as the decisions to be adopted will be binding on the Union as regards international trade with the other members of the International Olive Council (IOC) and will be capable of decisively influencing the content of Union law, namely marketing standards for olive oil adopted by the Commission pursuant to Article 75 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2).

(6) If the adoption of the decisions at the 119th session of the Council of Members is postponed, as a result of some Members not being in a position to give their approval, the position set out in the Annex to this Decision should be taken on behalf of the Union within the framework of the procedure for adoption by the Council of Members by exchange of correspondence pursuant to Article 10(6) of the Agreement, provided that that procedure is initiated before the next regular session of the Council of Members in November 2024.

(7) It should, however, be possible for the representatives of the Union in the Council of Members to agree to technical adaptations to other methods or documents of the IOC without further decision of the Council, if those technical adaptations result from amendments related to the revision of the trade standard, of the method for the organoleptic assessment for virgin olive oils or of the method to determine the content of waxes and ethyl esters of fatty acids by capillary column gas chromatography.

(8) In order to safeguard the interests of the Union, the representatives of the Union in the Council of Members should, however, be allowed to request to postpone the adoption of the decisions to a later session of the Council of Members, if the position to be taken on behalf of the Union is likely to be affected by new scientific or technical information presented before or at the 119th session,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The position to be taken on the Union’s behalf, within the Council of Members of the International Olive Council (IOC) at its 119th session, to be held between 18 and 25 June 2024, or within the framework of a procedure for adoption of decisions by the Council of Members by an exchange of correspondence initiated before its next regular session in November 2024 on the decisions amending the Trade Standard applying to olive oils and olive pomace oils and of the method for organoleptic assessment of virgin olive oils and the method to determine the content of waxes and ethyl esters of fatty acids by capillary column gas chromatography, is set out in the Annex to this Decision.

Article 2

Technical adaptations to other methods or documents of the IOC may be agreed to by the representatives of the Union in the Council of Members of the IOC (the ‘Council of Members’) without further decision of the Council if those technical adaptations result from amendments related to the revision of the Trade Standard for olive oils and olive pomace oils or from amendments related to the method for organoleptic assessment of virgin olive oils and the method to determine the content of waxes and ethyl esters of fatty acids by capillary column gas chromatography.

Article 3

Where the position referred to in Article 1 is likely to be affected by new scientific or technical information presented before or at the 119th session of the Council of Members, the representatives of the Union shall request that the adoption of the decisions amending the Trade Standard applying to olive oils and olive pomace oils and of the method for organoleptic assessment of virgin olive oils and the method to determine the content of waxes and ethyl esters of fatty acids by capillary column gas chromatography be postponed until the position of the Union is established on the basis of that new information.

Article 4

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

Done at Luxembourg, 20 June 2024.

For the Council

The President

M.-C. LEROY

(1) Council Decision (EU) 2019/848 of 17 May 2019 on the conclusion on behalf of the European Union of the International Agreement on Olive Oil and Table Olives, 2015 (

OJ L 139, 27.5.2019, p. 1

(2) Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007 (

OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671

ANNEX

The European Union shall support the following amendments to the IOC trade standard and methods of analysis at the 119th session of the Council of Members of the IOC to be held between 18 and 25 June 2024 or within the framework of a procedure for adoption of decisions by the Council of Members by an exchange of correspondence initiated before its next regular session in November 2024:

— the revision of the trade standard applying to olive oils and olive pomace oils COI/T.15/NC No 3/Rev. 19 to insert the new revision of the method for the organoleptic assessment of virgin olive oils;

— revise the method COI/T.20/Doc. No 15/Rev. 10 (Sensory analysis of olive oil — Method for the organoleptic assessment of virgin olive oils) on reports from tasting panels;

— correct the method COI/T.20/Doc. No 28/Rev. 3 (Determination of the content of waxes and ethyl esters of fatty acids by capillary column gas chromatography) regarding the expression of results.

Technical adaptations to other methods or documents of the IOC may be agreed to by the representatives of the Union in the Council of Members of the IOC without further decision of the Council if they result from amendments referred to in the first paragraph.

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2024/1811/oj

ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)