24. 7. 92 Official Journal of the European Communities No L 208/9 COUNCIL REGULATION (EEC) No 2082/92 of 14 July 1992 on certificates of specific character for agricultural products and foodstuffs THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES, Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, and in particular Article 43 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the Commission ('), Having regard to the opinion of the European Par- liament (3, Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social Committee (%), Whereas the production, manufacture and distribution of agricultural products and foodstuffs play an important role in the Community economy; Whereas, in the context of the reorientation of the common agricultural policy, the diversification of agricul- tural production should be encouraged; whereas the promotion of specific products could be of considerable benefit to the rural economy, particularly in less-favoured or remote areas, both by improving the income of farmers and by retaining the rural population in these areas; Whereas, in the context of the completion of the internal market in foodstuffs, economic operators should be provided with instruments which enable them to enhance the market value of their products while protecting consumers against improper practices and guaranteeing at the same time fair trade; : Whereas, in accordance with the Council resolution of ‘9 November 1989 on future priorities for relaunching consumer protection policy (%), account should be taken of increasing consumer demand for greater emphasis on quality and information as regards the nature, method of production and processing of foodstuffs and their special characteristics ; whereas, given the diversity of products on the market and the abundance of information concerning them, consumers must, in order to be able to make a better choice, be provided with clear and succinct infor- mation regarding the specific characteristics of foodstuffs ; Whereas a voluntary system based on regulatory criteria will help attain these aims; whereas such a system enabling producers to make known the quality of a food- () OJ No C 30, 6. 2. 1991, p. 4 and O] No C 71, 20. 3. 1992, p. 14, () OJ No C 326, 16. 12. 1991, p. 40. % OJ No C 40, 17. 2. 1992, p. 3. () OJ No C 294, 22. 11. 1989, p. 1. 1 | stuff throughout the Community must offer every guarantee so that any references which may be made to it in the trade are substantiated ; Whereas certain producers would like to derive market value from the specific character of agricultural products or foodstuffs because their inherent characteristics distin-  guish them clearly from similar products or foodstuffs ; whereas, in order to protect the consumer, the certified specific character should be subject to inspection ; Whereas, given the specific character of such products or foodstuffs, special provisions should be adopted to supple- ment the labelling rules laid down in Council Directive 79/112/EEC of 18 December 1978 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the labelling, presentation and advertising of foodstuffs () and whereas, in particular, an expression and, as appropriate, a Community symbol should be devised to accompany the trade description of such products or foodstuffs informing the consumer that it is a product or foodstuff presenting inspected specific characteristics ; Whereas, to guarantee that agricultural products and food- stuffs consistently possess the certified specific character- istics, groups of producers must themselves define the said characteristics in a product specification but whereas the rules for approving inspection bodies responsible for checking that the product specification is complied with must be uniform throughout the Community ; Whereas, in order not to create unfair conditions of competition, any producer must be able to use either a registered trade description together with details and, where appropriate, a Community symbol or a trade description registered as such, as long as the agricultural product or foodstuff he produces or processes complies with the requirements of the relevant specification and the inspection body he has selected is approved; Whereas provision should be made for allowing trade with third countries offering equivalent guarantees for the issue and inspection of certificates of specific character in their territory ; Whereas, if they are to be attractive to producers and reli- able for consumers, expressions relating to the specific character of an agricultural product or a foodstuff must be granted legal protection and be subject to official inspec- tion ; (» OJ No L 33, 8. 2. 1979, p. 1. Last amended by Directive 91/72/EEC (OJ N L 42, 15. 2. 1991, p. 27).