13.11.2003 Official Journal of the European Union L 295/57 COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1989/2003 of 6 November 2003 amending Regulation (EEC) No 2568/91 on the characteristics of olive oil and olive-pomace oil and on the relevant methods of analysis THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Having regard to Council Regulation No 136/66/EEC of 22 September 1966 on the establishment of a common organisa- tion of the market in oils and fats (), as last amended by Regu- lation (EC) No 1513/2001 (3, and in particular Article 35a thereof, Whereas: 1 Commission Regulation (EC) No 2568/91 (), as last amended by Regulation (EC) No 796/2002 (*), defines the physical, chemical and organoleptic characteristics of olive oils and olive-pomace oils and lays down methods of assessing these characteristics. The characteristics of the oils in question must be adjusted to take into account new descriptions and definitions of olive oil and olive-pomace oil applicable from 1 November 2003 following an amendment of the Annex to Regulation No 136/66/EEC, and in particular the inclusion of the cate- gory of ordinary virgin olive oil in the category of lampante olive oil and the reduction of the free acidity of all the categories. To continue the process of harmonisation with the inter- national standards laid down by the International Olive Oil Council and the Codex Alimentarius, certain limits concerning the characteristics of olive oil and olive- pomace oil laid down in Regulation (EEC) No 256891 should be adjusted. To reduce the number of analyses required to classify the samples of olive oils concerned, it is preferable that the control laboratories carry out the analyses of the quality and purity of the oils in the order laid down in a decision tree to be adopted for verifying whether a sample is consistent with the category declared. It is also necessary to delete the methods of analysis provided for in Annexes VIII and XIII to Regulation (EEC) No 2568/ 91, which have been replaced by other, more reliable analyses already set out in that Regulation. Sampling of batches of olive oils and oil-pomace oils put up in small packages, in accordance with Annex Ia to Regulation (EEC) No 2568/91, involves a number of practical difficulties for the control laboratories. To resolve these difficulties and reduce the quantities taken as much as possible, the content of the primary sample should be amended. 172, 30.9.1966, p. 3025/1966. L 201, 26.7.2001, p. 4. L 248, 5.9.1991, p. 1. L 128, 15.5.2002, p. 8. () In order to allow a period of adjustment to the new stan- dards and to give time for introducing the means of applying them and to avoid disturbance to commercial transactions, the amendments to this Regulation should not apply until 1 November 2003. For the same reasons, it should be laid down that olive oil and olive-pomace oil packaged prior to that date may be sold until the stocks concerned are used up. The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Management Committee for Oils and Fats, HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: Atrticle 1 Regulation (EEC) No 2568/91 is hereby amended as follows: 1. Article 1 is replaced by the following: ‘Article 1 1. Oils, the characteristics of which comply with those set out in points 1 and 2 of Annex I to this Regulation, shall be deemed to be virgin olive oils within the meaning of point 1(a) and (b) of the Annex to Regulation No 136/66/ EEC. 2. Oil, the characteristics of which comply with those set out in point 3 of Annex I to this Regulation, shall be deemed to be lampante olive oil within the meaning of point 1(c) of the Annex to Regulation No 136/66/EEC. 3. Oil, the characteristics of which comply with those set out in point 4 of Annex I to this Regulation, shall be deemed to be refined olive oil within the meaning of point 2 of the Annex to Regulation No 136/66/EEC. 4. Oil, the characteristics of which comply with those set out in point 5 of Annex I to this Regulation, shall be deemed to be olive oil composed of refined olive oils and virgin olive oils within the meaning of point 3 of the Annex to Regulation No 136/66EEC. 5. Oil, the characteristics of which comply with those set out in point 6 of Annex I to this Regulation, shall be deemed to be crude olive-pomace oil within the meaning of point 4 of the Annex to Regulation No 136/66/EEC.