21.10.2020

Official Journal of the European Union

C 351/8

Notice of initiation of an anti-dumping proceeding concerning imports of steel wind towers originating in the People’s Republic of China

(2020/C 351/08)

The European Commission (‘the Commission’) has received a complaint pursuant to Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 June 2016 on protection against dumped imports from countries not members of the European Union (1) (‘the basic Regulation’), alleging that imports of steel wind towers, originating in the People’s Republic of China are being dumped and are thereby causing injury (2) to the Union industry.

1. Complaint

The complaint was lodged on 9 September 2020 by the European Wind Tower Association (‘the complainant’), on behalf of producers representing more than 25 % of the total Union production of steel wind towers.

An open version of the complaint and the analysis of the degree of support by Union producers for the complaint are available in the file for inspection by interested parties. Section 5.6 of this Notice provides information about access to the file for interested parties.

2. Product under investigation

The product subject to this investigation is certain utility scale wind towers, whether or not tapered, and sections thereof (3), whether assembled or not, whether or not including an embedded tower foundation section, whether or not joined with nacelles or rotor blades, and that are designed to support the nacelle and rotor blades for use in wind turbines that have electrical power generation capacities – either in onshore or offshore applications – equal to or in excess of 1,00 megawatt (MW) and with a minimum height of 50 meters measured from the base of the tower to the bottom of the nacelle (i.e. where the top of the tower and nacelle are joined) when fully assembled (‘the product under investigation’).

All interested parties wishing to submit information on the product scope must do so within 10 days of the date of publication of this Notice (4).

3. Allegation of dumping

The product allegedly being dumped is the product under investigation, originating in the People’s Republic of China (‘the PRC’ or ‘the country concerned’) currently classified under CN codes ex 7308 20 00 (TARIC code 7308200011), ex 7308 90 98 (TARIC code 7308909811) and ex 8502 31 00 (TARIC codes 8502310011 and 8502310085). The CN and TARIC codes are given for information only.

The complainant claimed that it is not appropriate to use domestic prices and costs in the PRC, due to the existence of significant distortions within the meaning of point (b) of Article 2(6a) of the basic Regulation. To substantiate the allegations of significant distortions, the complainant relied on the information contained in the ‘Commission Staff Working Document on Significant Distortions in the Economy of the PRC’ dated 20 December 2017 (the ‘Commission Report’) (5) describing the specific market circumstances in the PRC, in particular the section on steel, and the findings of subsidisation of wind towers originating in the PRC by the United States Department of Commerce (6).

As a result, in view of Article 2(6a)(a) of the basic Regulation, the allegation of dumping is based on a comparison of a constructed normal value on the basis of costs of production and sale reflecting undistorted prices or benchmarks, with the export price (at ex-works level) of the product under investigation when sold for export to the Union. On that basis the dumping margins calculated are significant for the country concerned.

In light of the information available, the Commission considers that there is sufficient evidence pursuant to Article 5(9) of the basic Regulation tending to show that, due to significant distortions affecting prices and costs, the use of domestic prices and costs in the country concerned is inappropriate, thus warranting the initiation of an investigation on the basis of Article 2(6a) of the basic Regulation.

The Commission report is available in the file for inspection by interested parties and on DG Trade’s website.

4. Allegation of injury and causation

The complainant has provided evidence that imports of the product under investigation from the country concerned are significant both in absolute terms and in terms of market share.

The evidence provided by the complainant shows that the volume and the prices of the imported product under investigation have had, among other consequences, a negative impact on level of prices charged by the Union industry, resulting in substantial adverse effects on the overall performance, financial situation and employment situation of the Union industry.

The complainant has also provided evidence that the product under investigation is being brought in significant quantities offshore, i.e. to an artificial island, a fixed or floating installation or any other structure in the continental shelf of a Member State or the exclusive economic zone declared by a Member State pursuant to UNCLOS (7).

Therefore, pursuant to Article 14a of the basic Regulation, and to examine whether measures should also be imposed in the continental shelf or exclusive economic zone of the Member States, this investigation also covers (8):

—

the product under investigation when re-exported within the meaning of the Union Customs Code to an artificial island, a fixed or floating installation, or any other structure in the continental shelf of a Member State or the Exclusive Economic Zone declared by a Member State pursuant to UNCLOS; and

—

the product under investigation which is received on an artificial island, a fixed or floating installation, or any other structure in the continental shelf of a Member State or the Exclusive Economic Zone declared by a Member State pursuant to UNCLOS and does not fall within the previous paragraph of this point.

5. Procedure

Having determined, after informing the Member States, that the complaint has been lodged by or on behalf of the Union industry and that there is sufficient evidence to justify the initiation of a proceeding, the Commission hereby initiates an investigation pursuant to Article 5 of the basic Regulation.

The investigation will determine whether the product under investigation originating in the country concerned is being dumped and whether the dumped imports, including those brought to the continental shelf or an exclusive economic zone, have caused injury to the Union industry.

If the conclusions are affirmative, the investigation will examine whether the imposition of measures would not be against the Union interest under Article 21 of the basic Regulation.

Regulation (EU) 2018/825 of the European Parliament and of the Council (9), which entered into force on 8 June 2018 (TDI Modernisation package), introduced significant changes to the timetable and deadlines previously applicable in anti-dumping proceedings. The time limits for interested parties to come forward, in particular at the early stage of investigations, are shortened.

The Commission also draws the attention of the parties that further to the COVID-19 outbreak, a Notice (10) was published on the potential consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak on anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations.

5.1. Investigation period and period considered

The investigation of dumping and injury will cover the period from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020 (‘the investigation period’). The examination of trends relevant for the assessment of injury will cover the period from 1 January 2017 to the end of the investigation period (‘the period considered’).

5.2. Comments on the complaint and the initiation of the investigation

All interested parties are invited to make their views known on the factors of production/inputs and the Harmonised System (HS) codes provided in the complaint within 15 days of the date of publication of this Notice.

All interested parties wishing to comment on the complaint (including matters pertaining to injury and causality) or any aspects regarding the initiation of the investigation (including the degree of support for the complaint) must do so within 37 days of the date of publication of this Notice.

Any request for a hearing with regard to the initiation of the investigation must be submitted within 15 days of the date of publication of this Notice.

5.3. Procedure for the determination of dumping

Exporting producers (11) of the product under investigation are invited to participate in the Commission investigation.

5.3.1. Investigating exporting producers

5.3.1.1. Procedure for selecting exporting producers to be investigated in the PRC

(a) Sampling

In view of the potentially large number of exporting producers in the country concerned involved in this proceeding and in order to complete the investigation within the statutory time limits, the Commission may limit the exporting producers to be investigated to a reasonable number by selecting a sample (this process is also referred to as ‘sampling’). The sampling will be carried out in accordance with Article 17 of the basic Regulation.

In order to enable the Commission to decide whether sampling is necessary, and if so, to select a sample, all exporting producers, or representatives acting on their behalf, are hereby requested to provide the Commission with information on their company(ies) within 7 days of the date of publication of this Notice. This information must be provided via TRON.tdi at the following address: https://tron.trade.ec.europa.eu/tron/tdi/form/1a589b3a-9b5a-fc03-3b65-243351a47991 Tron access information can be found in sections 5.6 and 5.8.

In order to obtain information it deems necessary for the selection of the sample of exporting producers, the Commission has also contacted the authorities of the PRC and may contact any known associations of exporting producers.

If a sample is necessary, the exporting producers may be selected based on the largest representative volume of exports to the Union which can reasonably be investigated within the time available. All known exporting producers, the authorities of the PRC and associations of exporting producers will be notified by the Commission, via the authorities of the PRC if appropriate, of the companies selected to be in the sample.

Once the Commission has received the necessary information to select a sample of exporting producers, it will inform the parties concerned of its decision whether they are included in the sample. The sampled exporting producers will have to submit a completed questionnaire within 30 days from the date of notification of the decision of their inclusion in the sample, unless otherwise specified.

The Commission will add a note reflecting the sample selection to the file for inspection by interested parties. Any comment on the sample selection must be received within 3 days of the date of notification of the sample decision.

A copy of the questionnaire for exporting producers is available in the file for inspection by interested parties and on DG Trade’s website (https://trade.ec.europa.eu/tdi/case_details.cfm?id=2488).

Without prejudice to the possible application of Article 18 of the basic Regulation, exporting producers that have agreed to be included in the sample but are not selected as part of the sample will be considered to be cooperating (‘non-sampled cooperating exporting producers’). Without prejudice to section 5.3.1.1(b) below, the anti-dumping duty that may be applied to imports from non-sampled cooperating exporting producers will not exceed the weighted average margin of dumping established for the exporting producers in the sample (12).

(b) Individual dumping margin for exporting producers not included in the sample

Pursuant to Article 17(3) of the basic Regulation, non-sampled cooperating exporting producers may request the Commission to establish their individual dumping margins. Exporting producers wishing to claim an individual dumping margin must fill in the questionnaire and return it duly completed within 30 days of the date of notification of the sample selection, unless otherwise specified. A copy of the questionnaire for exporting producers is available in the file for inspection by interested parties and on DG Trade’s website (https://trade.ec.europa.eu/tdi/case_details.cfm?id=2488).

The Commission will examine whether non-sampled cooperating exporting producers can be granted an individual duty in accordance with Article 9(5) of the basic Regulation.

However, non-sampled cooperating exporting producers claiming an individual dumping margin should be aware that the Commission may nonetheless decide not to determine their individual dumping margin if, for instance, the number of non-sampled cooperating exporting producers is so large that such determination would be unduly burdensome and would prevent the timely completion of the investigation.

5.3.2. Additional procedure with regard to the country concerned subject to significant distortions

Subject to the provisions of this Notice, all interested parties are hereby invited to make their views known, submit information and provide supporting evidence regarding the application of Article 2(6a) of the basic Regulation. Unless otherwise specified, this information and supporting evidence must reach the Commission within 37 days of the date of publication of this Notice.

Pursuant to point (e) of Article 2(6a) of the basic Regulation, the Commission will shortly after initiation, by means of a note to the file for inspection by interested parties, inform parties to the investigation about the relevant sources, including the selection of an appropriate representative third country where appropriate, that it intends to use for the purpose of determining normal value pursuant to Article 2(6a). Parties to the investigation will be given 10 days to comment on the note, in accordance with point (e) of Article 2(6a). According to the information available to the Commission, a possible appropriate representative third country is Turkey. With the aim of finally selecting the appropriate representative third country, the Commission will examine whether there is a third country(ies) with similar level of economic development as the PRC, whether there is production and sales of the product under investigation in those third countries, and whether relevant data are readily available. Where there is more than one representative third country, preference will be given, where appropriate, to countries with an adequate level of social and environmental protection.

In the context of this exercise, the Commission invites all exporting producers in the PRC to provide the Commission with information on the materials (raw and processed) and energy used in the production of the product under investigation within 15 days of the date of publication of this Notice. This information must be provided via TRON.tdi at the following address: https://tron.trade.ec.europa.eu/tron/tdi/form/3f214eb2-3a97-eb85-45f9-a6c5630c38d7 Tron access information can be found in sections 5.6 and 5.8.

Furthermore, any submissions of factual information to value costs and prices pursuant to point (a) of Article 2(6a) of the basic Regulation must be filed within 65 days of the date of publication of this Notice. Such factual information should be taken exclusively from publicly available sources.

5.3.3. Investigating unrelated importers (13) (14)

Unrelated importers of the product under investigation from the PRC to the Union are invited to participate in this investigation.

In view of the potentially large number of unrelated importers involved in this proceeding and in order to complete the investigation within the statutory time limits, the Commission may limit to a reasonable number the unrelated importers that will be investigated by selecting a sample (this process is also referred to as ‘sampling’). The sampling will be carried out in accordance with Article 17 of the basic Regulation.

In order to enable the Commission to decide whether sampling is necessary and, if so, to select a sample, all unrelated importers, or representatives acting on their behalf, are hereby requested to provide the Commission with the information on their company(ies) requested in the Annex to this Notice within 7 days of the date of publication of this Notice.

In order to obtain information it deems necessary for the selection of the sample of unrelated importers, the Commission may also contact any known associations of importers.

If a sample is necessary, the importers may be selected based on the largest representative volume of sales of the product under investigation in the Union which can reasonably be investigated within the time available.

Once the Commission has received the necessary information to select a sample, it will inform the parties concerned of its decision on the sample of importers. The Commission will also add a note reflecting the sample selection to the file for inspection by interested parties. Any comment on the sample selection must be received within 3 days of the date of notification of the sample decision.

In order to obtain information it deems necessary for its investigation, the Commission will make available questionnaires to the sampled unrelated importers. Those parties must submit a completed questionnaire within 30 days from the date of the notification of the decision about the sample, unless otherwise specified.

A copy of the questionnaire for importers is available in the file for inspection by interested parties and on DG Trade’s website (https://trade.ec.europa.eu/tdi/case_details.cfm?id=2488).

5.4. Procedure for the determination of injury and investigating Union producers

A determination of injury is based on positive evidence and involves an objective examination of the volume of the dumped imports, their effect on prices on the Union market and the consequent impact of those imports on the Union industry. In order to establish whether the Union industry is injured, Union producers of the product under investigation are invited to participate in the Commission investigation.

In view of the large number of Union producers concerned and in order to complete the investigation within the statutory time limits, the Commission has decided to limit to a reasonable number the Union producers that will be investigated by selecting a sample (this process is also referred to as ‘sampling’). The sampling is carried out in accordance with Article 17 of the basic Regulation.

The Commission has provisionally selected a sample of Union producers. Details can be found in the file for inspection by interested parties. Interested parties are hereby invited to comment on the provisional sample. In addition, other Union producers, or representatives acting on their behalf, that consider that there are reasons why they should be included in the sample must contact the Commission within 7 days of the date of publication of this Notice. All comments regarding the provisional sample must be received within 7 days of the date of publication of this Notice, unless otherwise specified.

All known Union producers and/or associations of Union producers will be notified by the Commission of the companies finally selected to be in the sample.

The sampled Union producers will have to submit a completed questionnaire within 30 days from the date of notification of the decision of their inclusion in the sample, unless otherwise specified.

A copy of the questionnaire for Union producers is available in the file for inspection by interested parties and on DG Trade’s website (https://trade.ec.europa.eu/tdi/case_details.cfm?id=2488).

5.5. Procedure for the assessment of Union interest

Should the existence of dumping and injury caused thereby be established, a decision will be reached, pursuant to Article 21 of the basic Regulation, as to whether the adoption of anti-dumping measures would not be against the Union interest. Union producers, importers and their representative associations, users and their representative associations, trade unions and representative consumer organisations are invited to provide the Commission with information on the Union interest. In order to participate in the investigation, the representative consumer organisations have to demonstrate that there is an objective link between their activities and the product under investigation.

Information concerning the assessment of Union interest must be provided within 37 days of the date of publication of this Notice unless otherwise specified. This information may be provided either in a free format or by completing a questionnaire prepared by the Commission. A copy of the questionnaires, including the questionnaire for users of the product under investigation, is available in the file for inspection by interested parties and on DG Trade’s website (https://trade.ec.europa.eu/tdi/case_details.cfm?id=2488). The information submitted pursuant to Article 21 will only be taken into account if supported by factual evidence at the time of submission.

5.6. Interested parties

In order to participate in the investigation interested parties, such as exporting producers, Union producers, importers and their representative associations, users and their representative associations, trade unions and representative consumer organisations first have to demonstrate that there is an objective link between their activities and the product under investigation.

Exporting producers, Union producers, importers and representative associations who made information available in accordance to the procedures described in sections 5.3.1, 5.4 and 5.3.3 above will be considered as interested parties if there is an objective link between their activities and the product under investigation.

Other parties will only be able to participate in the investigation as interested party from the moment they make themselves known, and provided that there is an objective link between their activities and the product under investigation. Being considered as an interested party is without prejudice to the application of Article 18 of the basic Regulation.

Access to the file available for inspection for interested parties is made via TRON.tdi at the following address: https://tron.trade.ec.europa.eu/tron/TDI. Please follow the instructions on that page to get access.

5.7. Possibility to be heard by the Commission investigation services

All interested parties may request to be heard by the Commission’s investigation services.

Any request to be heard must be made in writing and must specify the reasons for the request as well as a summary of what the interested party wishes to discuss during the hearing. The hearing will be limited to the issues set out by the interested parties in writing beforehand.

The timeframe for hearings is as follows:

i.	For any hearings to take place before the deadline for the imposition of provisional measures, a request should be made within 15 days from the date of publication of this Notice and the hearing will normally take place within 60 days of the date of publication of this Notice.

ii.

After the stage of provisional findings, a request should be made within 5 days from the date of the disclosure of the provisional findings or of the information document, and the hearing will normally take place within 15 days from the date of notification of the disclosure or the date of the information document.

iii.

At the stage of definitive findings, a request should be made within 3 days from the date of the final disclosure, and the hearing will normally take place within the period granted to comment on the final disclosure. If there is an additional final disclosure, a request should be made immediately upon receipt of this additional final disclosure, and the hearing will normally take place within the deadline to provide comments on this disclosure.

The outlined timeframe is without prejudice to the right of the Commission services to accept hearings outside the timeframe in duly justified cases and to the right of the Commission to deny hearings in duly justified cases. Where the Commission services refuse a hearing request, the party concerned will be informed of the reasons for such refusal.

In principle, hearings will not be used to present factual information which is not yet on file. Nevertheless, in the interest of good administration and to enable Commission services to progress with the investigation, interested parties may be directed to provide new factual information after a hearing.

5.8. Instructions for making written submissions and sending completed questionnaires and correspondence

Information submitted to the Commission for the purpose of trade defence investigations shall be free from copyrights. Interested parties, before submitting to the Commission information and/or data which is subject to third party copyrights, must request specific permission to the copyright holder explicitly allowing the Commission a) to use the information and data for the purpose of this trade defence proceeding and b) to provide the information and/or data to interested parties to this investigation in a form that allows them to exercise their rights of defence.

All written submissions, including the information requested in this Notice, completed questionnaires and correspondence provided by interested parties for which confidential treatment is requested shall be labelled ‘Sensitive’ (15). Parties submitting information in the course of this investigation are invited to reason their request for confidential treatment.

Parties providing ‘Sensitive’ information are required to furnish non-confidential summaries of it pursuant to Article 19(2) of the basic Regulation, which will be labelled ‘For inspection by interested parties’. Those summaries should be sufficiently detailed to permit a reasonable understanding of the substance of the information submitted in confidence.

If a party providing confidential information fails to show good cause for a confidential treatment request or does not furnish a non-confidential summary of it in the requested format and quality, the Commission may disregard such information unless it can be satisfactorily demonstrated from appropriate sources that the information is correct.

Interested parties are invited to make all submissions and requests via TRON.tdi (https://tron.trade.ec.europa.eu/tron/TDI) including scanned powers of attorney and certification sheets. By using TRON.tdi or email, interested parties express their agreement with the rules applicable to electronic submissions contained in the document ‘CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION IN TRADE DEFENCE CASES’ published on the website of the Directorate-General for Trade: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2011/june/tradoc_148003.pdf. The interested parties must indicate their name, address, telephone and a valid email address and they should ensure that the provided email address is a functioning official business email which is checked on a daily basis. Once contact details are provided, the Commission will communicate with interested parties by TRON.tdi or email only, unless they explicitly request to receive all documents from the Commission by another means of communication or unless the nature of the document to be sent requires the use of a registered mail. For further rules and information concerning correspondence with the Commission including principles that apply to submissions via TRON.tdi and by email, interested parties should consult the communication instructions with interested parties referred to above.

Commission address for correspondence:

European Commission

Directorate-General for Trade

Directorate G

Office: CHAR 04/039

1049 Bruxelles/Brussel

BELGIQUE/BELGIË

Email:

For dumping issues:

TRADE-AD674-WIND-TOWERS-ANTI-DUMPING@ec.europa.eu

For injury and Union interest issues:

TRADE-AD674-WIND-TOWERS-INJURY@ec.europa.eu

6. Schedule of the investigation

The investigation will be concluded, pursuant to Article 6(9) of the basic Regulation within normally 13, but not more than 14 months of the date of the publication of this Notice. In accordance with Article 7(1) of the basic Regulation, provisional measures may be imposed normally not later than 7 months, but in any event not later than 8 months from the publication of this Notice.

In accordance with Article 19a of the basic Regulation, the Commission will provide information on the planned imposition of provisional duties 4 weeks before the imposition of provisional measures. Interested parties will be given 3 working days to comment in writing on the accuracy of the calculations.

In cases where the Commission intends not to impose provisional duties but to continue the investigation, interested parties will be informed, by means of an information document, of the non-imposition of duties 4 weeks before the expiry of the deadline under Article 7(1) of the basic Regulation.

Interested parties will be given 15 days to comment in writing on the provisional findings or on the information document, and 10 days to comment in writing on the definitive findings, unless otherwise specified. Where applicable, additional final disclosures will specify the deadline for interested parties to comment in writing.

7. Submission of information

As a rule, interested parties may only submit information in the timeframes specified in sections 5 and 6 of this Notice. The submission of any other information not covered by those sections, should respect the following timetable:

i.	Any information for the stage of provisional findings should be submitted within 70 days from the date of publication of this Notice, unless otherwise specified.

ii.

Unless otherwise specified, interested parties should not submit new factual information after the deadline to comment on the disclosure of the provisional findings or the information document at the stage of provisional findings. After this deadline, interested parties may only submit new factual information if they can demonstrate that such new factual information is necessary to rebut factual allegations made by other interested parties and provided that such new factual information can be verified within the time available to complete the investigation in a timely manner.

iii.	In order to complete the investigation within the mandatory deadlines, the Commission will not accept submissions from interested parties after the deadline to provide comments on the final disclosure or, if applicable, after the deadline to provide comments on the additional final disclosure.

8. Possibility to comment on other parties’ submissions

In order to guarantee the rights of defence, interested parties should have the possibility to comment on information submitted by other interested parties. When doing so, interested parties may only address issues raised in the other interested parties’ submissions and may not raise new issues.

Such comments should be made according to the following timeframe:

i.	Any comment on information submitted by other interested parties before the deadline of imposition of provisional measures should be made at the latest on day 75 from the date of publication of this Notice, unless otherwise specified.

ii.

Comments on the information provided by other interested parties in reaction to the disclosure of the provisional findings or of the information document should be submitted within 7 days from the deadline to comment on the provisional findings or on the information document, unless otherwise specified.

iii.

Comments on the information provided by other interested parties in reaction to the final disclosure should be submitted within 3 days from the deadline to comment on the final disclosure, unless otherwise specified. If there is an additional final disclosure, comments on the information provided by other interested parties in reaction to this disclosure should be made within 1 day from the deadline to comment on this disclosure, unless otherwise specified.

The outlined timeframe is without prejudice to the Commission’s right to request additional information from interested parties in duly justified cases.

9. Extension to time limits specified in this Notice

Any extension to the time limits provided for in this Notice should only be requested in exceptional circumstances and will only be granted if duly justified. In any event, any extension to the deadline to reply to questionnaires will be limited normally to 3 days, and as a rule will not exceed 7 days. Regarding time limits for the submission of other information specified in the Notice of initiation, extensions will be limited to 3 days unless exceptional circumstances are demonstrated.

10. Non-cooperation

In cases where any interested party refuses access to or does not provide the necessary information within the time limits, or significantly impedes the investigation, provisional or final findings, affirmative or negative, may be made on the basis of facts available, in accordance with Article 18 of the basic Regulation.

Where it is found that any interested party has supplied false or misleading information, the information may be disregarded and use may be made of facts available.

If an interested party does not cooperate or cooperates only partially and findings are therefore based on facts available in accordance with Article 18 of the basic Regulation, the result may be less favourable to that party than if it had cooperated.

Failure to give a computerised response shall not be deemed to constitute non-cooperation, provided that the interested party shows that presenting the response as requested would result in an unreasonable extra burden or unreasonable additional cost. The interested party should immediately contact the Commission.

11. Hearing Officer

Interested parties may request the intervention of the Hearing Officer for trade proceedings. The Hearing Officer reviews requests for access to the file, disputes regarding the confidentiality of documents, requests for extension of time limits and any other request concerning the rights of defence of interested parties and third parties as may arise during the proceeding.

The Hearing Officer may organise hearings and mediate between the interested party/-ies and Commissions services to ensure that the interested parties’ rights of defence are being fully exercised. A request for a hearing with the Hearing Officer should be made in writing and should specify the reasons for the request. The Hearing Officer will examine the reasons for the requests. These hearings should only take place if the issues have not been settled with the Commission services in the due course.

Any request must be submitted in good time and expeditiously so as not to jeopardise the orderly conduct of proceedings. To that effect, interested parties should request the intervention of the Hearing Officer at the earliest possible time following the occurrence of the event justifying such intervention. In principle, the timeframes set out in section 5.7 to request hearings with the Commission services apply mutatis mutandis to requests for hearings with the Hearing Officer. Where hearing requests are submitted outside the relevant timeframes, the Hearing Officer will also examine the reasons for such late requests, the nature of the issues raised and the impact of those issues on the rights of defence, having due regard to the interests of good administration and the timely completion of the investigation.

For further information and contact details interested parties may consult the Hearing Officer’s web pages on DG Trade’s website: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/trade-policy-and-you/contacts/hearing-officer/

12. Processing of personal data

Any personal data collected in this investigation will be treated in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council (16).

A data protection notice that informs all individuals of the processing of personal data in the framework of Commission’s trade defence activities is available on DG TRADE’s website: http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/accessing-markets/trade-defence/

(1) OJ L 176, 30.6.2016, p. 21.

(2) The general term ‘injury’ refers to material injury as well as to threat of material injury or material retardation of the establishment of an industry as set out in Article 3(1) of the basic Regulation.

(3) A wind tower section consists of steel plates rolled into cylindrical or conical shapes and welded together (or otherwise attached) to form a steel shell, whether or not coated, end-finished or painted, irrespective of treatment or method of manufacture, and with or without flanges, doors, or internal or external components (e.g., flooring/decking, ladders, lifts, electrical junction boxes, electrical cabling, conduit, cable harness for nacelle generator, interior lighting, tool and storage lockers) attached to the wind tower section.

(4) References to the publication of this Notice mean publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

(5) http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2017/december/tradoc_156474.pdf. Documents cited in the Commission Report may also be obtained upon a duly reasoned request.

(6) See notably Issues and Decision Memorandum for the Final Results of the Expedited First Sunset Review of the Countervailing Duty Order on Utility Scale Wind Towers from the People’s Republic of China, https://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/summary/prc/2018-10555-1.pdf

(7) The continental shelf comprises the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond the territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of the land territory to the outer edge of the continental margin, or to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured where the outer edge of the continental margin does not extend up to that distance whereas the exclusive economic zone is an area beyond and adjacent to the territorial sea that shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles (see notably Article 55 from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (‘UNCLOS’)). Artificial islands are areas of land, surrounded by water, that are above water that are not naturally formed but are the result of man building activity. These islands can be used to support the exploration or exploitation of the seabed or they can be used to support the production of energy from the water, currents or winds. They could be used as the point of delivery of dumped/subsidised products such as tubes to connect the platforms to the shore or to extract hydrocarbons from the seabed, drilling equipment and rigs or wind turbines. Fixed or floating installations and any other structures are constructions, including facilities, such as platforms whether fixed to the sea floor or floating which are intended for the exploration or exploitation of the seabed. They also include the constructions on site for the production of energy from the water, currents or winds. The product under investigation could also be delivered for use on those constructions.

(8) See also Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1131 of 2 July 2019 establishing a customs tool in order to implement Article 14a of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Article 24a of Regulation (EU) 2016/1037 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 179, 3.7.2019, p. 12).

(9) Regulation (EU) 2018/825 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 amending Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 on protection against dumped imports from countries not members of the European Union and Regulation (EU) 2016/1037 on protection against subsidised imports from countries not members of the European Union (OJ L 143, 7.6.2018, p. 1).

(10) On the consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak on anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigations (OJ C 86, 16.3.2020, p. 6).

(11) An exporting producer is any company in the country concerned which produces and exports the product under investigation to the Union market, either directly or via a third party, including any of its related companies involved in the production, domestic sales or exports of the product under investigation.

(12) Pursuant to Article 9(6) of the basic Regulation, any zero and de minimis margins, and margins established in accordance with the circumstances described in Article 18 of the basic Regulation will be disregarded.

(13) This section covers only importers not related to exporting producers. Importers that are not related to exporting producers have to fill in Annex I to the questionnaire for these exporting producers. In accordance with Article 127 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/2447 of 24 November 2015 laying down detailed rules for implementing certain provisions of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the Union Customs Code, two persons shall be deemed to be related if: (a) they are officers or directors of the other person’s business; (b) they are legally recognised partners in business; (c) they are employer and employee; (d) a third party directly or indirectly owns, controls or holds 5 % or more of the outstanding voting stock or shares of both of them; (e) one of them directly or indirectly controls the other; (f) both of them are directly or indirectly controlled by a third person; (g) together they control a third person directly or indirectly; or (h) they are members of the same family (OJ L 343, 29.12.2015, p. 558). Persons shall be deemed to be members of the same family only if they stand in any of the following relationships to one another: (i) husband and wife, (ii) parent and child, (iii) brother and sister (whether by whole or half blood), (iv) grandparent and grandchild, (v) uncle or aunt and nephew or niece, (vi) parent-in-law and son-in-law or daughter-in-law, (vii) brother-in-law and sister-in-law. In accordance with Article 5(4) of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the Union Customs Code, ‘person’ means a natural person, a legal person, and any association of persons which is not a legal person but which is recognised under Union or national law as having the capacity to perform legal acts (OJ L 269, 10.10.2013, p. 1).

(14) The data provided by unrelated importers may also be used in relation to aspects of this investigation other than the determination of dumping.

(15) A ‘Sensitive’ document is a document which is considered confidential pursuant to Article 19 of the basic Regulation and Article 6 of the WTO Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the GATT 1994 (Anti-Dumping Agreement). It is also a document protected pursuant to Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 145, 31.5.2001, p. 43).

(16) Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC (OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 39).

ANNEX

☐	‘Sensitive’ version
☐	Version ‘For inspection by interested parties’
(tick the appropriate box)

ANTI-DUMPING PROCEEDING CONCERNING IMPORTS OF STEEL WIND TOWERS ORIGINATING IN THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

INFORMATION FOR THE SELECTION OF THE SAMPLE OF UNRELATED IMPORTERS

This form is designed to assist unrelated importers in responding to the request for sampling information made in point 5.3.3 of the Notice of initiation.

Both the ‘Sensitive’ version and the version ‘For inspection by interested parties’ must be returned to the Commission as set out in the Notice of initiation.

1. IDENTITY AND CONTACT DETAILS

Supply the following details about your company:

Company name
Address
Contact person
Email address
Telephone

2. TURNOVER AND SALES VOLUME

Indicate the total turnover in euros (EUR) of your company, and the turnover and imports into the Union and resales on the Union market after importation from the People’s Republic of China, or sales in the continental shelf of a Member State or the exclusive economic zone declared by a Member State pursuant to UNCLOS (1) during the investigation period (1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020) of steel wind towers as defined in the Notice of initiation.

	Number of steel wind towers	Number of steel wind tower sections	Value in euros (EUR)
Total turnover of your company in euros (EUR)
Imports of the product under investigation originating in the People’s Republic of China into the Union
Re-exports/shipments of the product under investigation originating in the People’s Republic of China into the continental shelf of a Member State or the exclusive economic zone declared by a Member State pursuant to UNCLOS
Imports of the product under investigation into the Union (all origins except the People’s Republic of China)
Resales on the Union market after importation from the People’s Republic of China of the product under investigation

3. ACTIVITIES OF YOUR COMPANY AND RELATED COMPANIES (2)

Give details of the precise activities of your company and all related companies (please list them and state the relationship to your company) involved in the production and/or selling (export and/or domestic) of the product under investigation. Such activities could include but are not limited to purchasing the product under investigation or producing it under sub-contracting arrangements, or processing or trading the product under investigation.

Company name and location	Activities	Relationship

4. OTHER INFORMATION

Please provide any other relevant information that you consider useful to assist the Commission in the selection of the sample.

5. CERTIFICATION

By providing the above information, your company agrees to its possible inclusion in the sample. If your company is selected to be part of the sample, this will involve completing a questionnaire and accepting a visit at its premises in order to verify its response. If your company indicates that it does not agree to its possible inclusion in the sample, it will be deemed not to have cooperated in the investigation. The Commission’s findings for non-cooperating importers are based on the facts available and the result may be less favourable to that company than if it had cooperated.

Signature of authorised official:

Name and title of authorised official:

Date:

(1) See points 4 and 5 of the Notice of initiation.

(2) In accordance with Article 127 of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/2447 of 24 November 2015 laying down detailed rules for implementing certain provisions of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the Union Customs Code, two persons shall be deemed to be related if: (a) they are officers or directors of the other person’s business; (b) they are legally recognised partners in business; (c) they are employer and employee; (d) a third party directly or indirectly owns, controls or holds 5 % or more of the outstanding voting stock or shares of both of them; (e) one of them directly or indirectly controls the other; (f) both of them are directly or indirectly controlled by a third person; (g) together they control a third person directly or indirectly; or (h) they are members of the same family (OJ L 343, 29.12.2015, p. 558). Persons shall be deemed to be members of the same family only if they stand in any of the following relationships to one another: (i) husband and wife, (ii) parent and child, (iii) brother and sister (whether by whole or half blood), (iv) grandparent and grandchild, (v) uncle or aunt and nephew or niece, (vi) parent-in-law and son-in-law or daughter-in-law, (vii) brother-in-law and sister-in-law. In accordance with Article 5(4) of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the Union Customs Code, ‘person’ means a natural person, a legal person, and any association of persons which is not a legal person but which is recognised under Union or national law as having the capacity to perform legal acts (OJ L 269, 10.10.2013, p. 1).

21.10.2020

Official Journal of the European Union

C 351/20

Publication of an application for a Union amendment to a product specification for a name in the wine sector pursuant to referred to in Article 97(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council

(2020/C 351/09)

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 98 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1) within two months from the date of this publication.

REQUEST FOR A UNION AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION

‘VENEZIA’

PDO-IT-A0517-AM03

Date of application: 2.8.2019

1. Applicant and legitimate interest

Consorzio Vini Venezia (Venezia wine association)

Voluntary association

2. Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment(s)

☐	Name of product

☒	Category of the grapevine product

☒

Link

☐	Marketing restrictions

3. Description and reasons for amendment

3.1. Introduction of categories (4) Sparkling wine and (6) Quality aromatic sparkling wine

Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment(s)

Article 1 - Designation and wines

Description and reasons

Description: Categories (4) Sparkling wine and (6) Quality aromatic sparkling wine are added.

Reasons: The sparkling wines covered by the ‘Venezia’ PDO are currently produced under category (5) Quality sparkling wine, meaning that, as regards production and chemical/physical parameters such as the minimum total alcoholic strength by volume of 10,5 % laid down in the specification for sparkling wines, it is possible to refer additionally to the new categories of grapevine products (4) Sparkling wine and (6) Quality aromatic sparkling wine, in the latter case if they are made with aromatic grape varieties. In addition, it is customary in this area to carry out secondary fermentation in autoclaves for varying lengths of time, with different amounts of excess pressures and sometimes delaying the release of the wines for consumption within the time limits laid down in the legislation in force for the relevant product categories.

As well as the production of wines in the ‘Quality sparkling wine’ category, which is already included in the current specification, it is therefore necessary to expressly state that wines are also produced in the ‘Sparkling wine’ and ‘Quality aromatic sparkling wine’ categories; such wines are in fact already produced in this area as a result of continuous technological innovation. The production of sparkling wine is long established in the area as a result of the long-standing presence of grape varieties suitable for making sparkling wine, such as Pinot Nero, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco, Traminer Aromatico, Tocai Friulano, Verduzzo, Glera and Raboso. The production of sparkling wines in the area of the ‘Venezia’ PDO has enabled producers to acquire a high degree of skill and considerable commercial success, including internationally, thanks to their personal skills and business acumen.

This amendment makes it possible to expand the commercial offer of ‘Venezia’ PDO wines and introduce greater flexibility to the production chain. The amendment concerns sections 1.3, 1.4, 1.5 and 1.8 of the single document.

3.2. Link with the environment

Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment(s)

Article 8 - Link with the environment

Description and reasons

Additional information on the link has been provided in respect of the new categories of wine products as there is a well-established tradition of producing wines that can in fact fall under the Sparkling wine, Quality sparkling wine and Quality aromatic sparkling wine categories, and that are traditionally produced using the method of secondary fermentation in autoclaves (Charmat method) in the territory of the ‘Venezia’ PDO, i.e. in the area from the hills around Treviso down to the Piave river valley. It is customary in this area to carry out secondary fermentation in autoclaves for varying lengths of time, delaying the release for consumption of the wine obtained, in order to lend the wine some specific characteristics, such as notes of bread crust depending on the duration of the contact between the disintegrated yeast cells and the wine subject to secondary fermentation, and fine, long-lasting bubbles based on the length of the secondary fermentation.

Additional information has also been provided on the link with human factors, using the information already set out in Article 8 of the product specification.

The additional information on the link concerns section 4 of the single document and Article 8 of the product specification.

3.3. Maximum yields

Heading in the product specification affected by the amendment(s)

Article 4 - Wine-growing standards

Description and reasons

The yields have been specified for the new categories of grapevine products ‘Sparkling wine’ and ‘Quality aromatic sparkling wine’ and they refer to the yields already laid down for the ‘Quality sparkling wine’ category. In the interests of clarity, the maximum yields have been listed in the single document, including references to the categories of grapevine products as well as the relevant types of wine, and references to the categories concerned have been added to the table of yields in Article 4 of the product specification.

The amendment concerns section 1.5.2 of the single document and Article 4 of the product specification.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

1. Name of product

Venezia

2. Geographical indication type

PDO - Protected Designation of Origin

3. Categories of grapevine products

Wine

4.	Sparkling wine

5.	Quality sparkling wine

6.	Quality aromatic sparkling wine

8.	Semi-sparkling wine

4. Description of the wine(s)

Category (1) Wine - Reds: ‘Venezia’ Rosso and ‘Venezia’ with indication of the grape variety

The red wines of the ‘Venezia’ PDO, including those with indication of the grape varieties Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmènere, Malbech, Cabernet, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso and Pinot Nero, are of a colour ranging from ruby red to deep red, with possible hints of garnet or purple if they are aged, as is the case for the Riserva versions. They have an intense, fine and long-lasting aroma and a dry, harmonious and velvety taste, sometimes grassy or fruity depending on the predominant grape varieties used. The minimum total alcoholic strength by volume is 11 %; 12,5 % for Riserva wines. The minimum sugar-free extract is 23 g/l, and 25 g/l for Riserva wines.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

General analytical characteristics
Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume)
Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume)	11
Minimum total acidity	4,5 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid
Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre)
Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)

Category (1) Wine - Whites and rosés: ‘Venezia’ Bianco, ‘Venezia’ with indication of the grape variety, ‘Venezia’ Rosato

The white wines of the ‘Venezia’ PDO, including those with indication of the grape varieties Chardonnay, Pinot and Pinot Grigio (including the rosé version), Manzoni Bianco, Verduzzo, Sauvignon, Pinot Bianco, Tai and Traminer, are straw yellow to golden yellow in colour, sometimes with greenish hints. The rosé wines are pink of varying intensity, sometimes coppery. They have an intense, distinctive aroma and a dry, harmonious and velvety taste, sometimes fruity depending on the predominant grape varieties used, as is the case for Pinot and Pinot Grigio. The minimum total alcoholic strength by volume ranges from 10,5 % for ‘Venezia’ Rosato to 11 % for the other types. The minimum sugar-free extract is 14 g/l, and 16 g/l for ‘Venezia’ Rosato.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

General analytical characteristics
Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume)
Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume)	10,5
Minimum total acidity	4,5 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid
Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre)
Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)

Category (1) Wine - ‘Venezia’ with the term Passito, including with indication of the grape variety

The ‘Venezia’ PDO also includes a Passito Bianco version with indication of the grape variety Verduzzo. These wines have a golden yellow colour of varying intensity, sometimes amber. They have an intense, distinctive aroma and a sweet, harmonious and velvety taste. The minimum total alcoholic strength is 15 %, with a minimum sugar-free extract of 26 g/l.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

General analytical characteristics
Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume)
Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume)	12
Minimum total acidity	4,5 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid
Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre)	25
Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)

Categories (4) Sparkling wine, (5) Quality sparkling wine and (6) Quality aromatic sparkling wine

The sparkling wines in the various categories of the ‘Venezia’ PDO, which are white or rosé and may include indication of the grape varieties Pinot, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Nero, Chardonnay and Traminer, have fine and evanescent foam and a straw yellow colour of varying intensity, sometimes with hints of gold or copper, or tending to pink if made from black grape varieties and fermented off skins. They have a delicate and fruity aroma and a fresh, harmonious taste ranging from brut nature to demi-sec, sometimes sweet and aromatic in the case of the Traminer variety.

The minimum total alcoholic strength by volume is 10,5 %, with a minimum sugar-free extract of 14 g/l.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

General analytical characteristics
Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume)
Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume)	10,5
Minimum total acidity	5 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid
Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre)
Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)

Category (8) ‘Semi-sparkling wine’ - ‘Venezia’ Frizzante Bianco, Rosato and with indication of the grape variety

The semi-sparkling wines of the ‘Venezia’ PDO, which are white or rosé and may include indication of the grape varieties Pinot, Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, have a straw yellow colour of varying intensity, or sometimes a coppery or pink colour of varying intensity. They have a delicate and fruity aroma and a taste ranging from dry to medium-dry.

The minimum total alcoholic strength by volume is 10,5 %, with a minimum sugar-free extract of 14 g/l.

Any analytical parameters not shown in the table below comply with the limits laid down in national and EU legislation.

General analytical characteristics
Maximum total alcoholic strength (in % volume)
Minimum actual alcoholic strength (in % volume)	10,5
Minimum total acidity	4,5 grams per litre expressed as tartaric acid
Maximum volatile acidity (in milliequivalents per litre)
Maximum total sulphur dioxide (in milligrams per litre)

5. Wine making practices

a. Essential oenological practices

Making of sparkling and semi-sparkling wine

Specific oenological practice

All sparkling wines of the ‘Venezia’ PDO in the various categories, namely (4) Sparkling wine, (5) Quality sparkling wine and (6) Quality aromatic sparkling wine, and the semi-sparkling wines (Category 8) must be produced exclusively using the method of secondary fermentation in autoclaves (Charmat method).

Use of raisined grapes for the production of the Riserva types

Specific oenological practice

Raisined grapes up to a maximum limit of 30 % may be used in the preparation of Riserva wines.

b. Maximum yields

Category (1) Wine - ‘Venezia’ Rosso including with indication of a black grape variety

112 hectolitres per hectare

Category (1) Wine - ‘Venezia’ Bianco including with indication of a white grape variety

105 hectolitres per hectare

‘Venezia’ Spumante Bianco and ‘Venezia’ Spumante Rosato in categories (4) Sparkling wine and (5) Quality sparkling wine

119 hectolitres per hectare

‘Venezia’ Spumante with indication of a white grape variety in categories (4) Sparkling wine and (5) Quality sparkling wine

105 hectolitres per hectare

‘Venezia’ Pinot Spumante including Rosato, categories (4) Sparkling wine and (5) Quality sparkling wine

112 hectolitres per hectare

‘Venezia’ Traminer Spumante in categories (4) Sparkling wine, (5) Quality sparkling wine and (6) Quality aromatic sparkling wine

105 hectolitres per hectare

Category (8) Semi-sparkling wine - ‘Venezia’ Frizzante Bianco and Rosato

119 hectolitres per hectare

Category (8) Semi-sparkling wine - ‘Venezia’ Chardonnay and ‘Venezia’ Pinot Grigio including Rosato

105 hectolitres per hectare

Category (1) Wine - ‘Venezia’ Raboso

119 hectolitres per hectare

Category (1) Wine - ‘Venezia’ with the term Passito including with indication of the grape variety

75 hectolitres per hectare

6. Demarcated geographical area

The grapes that may be used in the production of ‘Venezia’ PDO wines are grown in an area that comprises the entire administrative territory of the provinces of Venice and Treviso.

7. Main wine grapes variety(ies)

Cabernet Franc N. - Cabernet

Cabernet Sauvignon N. - Cabernet

Carmenère N. - Cabernet

Chardonnay B.

Glera Lunga B. - Glera

Malbech N.

Manzoni Bianco B.

Merlot N.

Pinot Bianco B. - Pinot

Pinot Grigio - Pinot

Pinot Nero N. - Pinot

Raboso Piave N. - Friularo

Raboso Veronese N. - Raboso

Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso N. - Refosco

Sauvignon B.

Tocai Friulano B. - Tai

Traminer Aromatico Rs

Verduzzo Friulano B. - Verduzzo

Verduzzo Trevigiano B. - Verduzzo

8. Description of the link(s)

‘Venezia’ PDO - Link with the environment

Wine-growing has been present in the area around Venice and Treviso since time immemorial, but it was the Republic of Venice, with the birth of the ‘Stato da Terra’, that would give a major boost to the development of local wine production. Wine-growing survived the great decline of the 18th century and part of the 19th century thanks to the constant and skilful work carried out mainly by the Oenological School of Conegliano, which helped create a major wine-growing centre in the north-east of Italy. The climate of the ‘Venezia’ PDO area is defined as ‘humid temperate’ and this is due, as well as to its latitude, to the closeness of the sea and the mountains, to the presence of lagoon areas, to the level terrain and the consequent exposure to the wind.

The ‘Venezia’ PDO production area extends across the provinces of Treviso and Venice. It is a broad territory of alluvial origin, with soils formed from deposits of alluvial materials mainly resulting from the melting of Alpine and pre-Alpine glaciers and then by the action of the major rivers (the Brenta, Piave, Tagliamento and, to a lesser extent, the Livenza). The plain can easily be divided into two parts, the high and the lowland plain, separated by the spring belt. In the high plain, the soils are characterised by the presence of gravel fans of fluvio-glacial and fluvial origin in which the subsoil is entirely composed of gravel. Moving to the south, after the spring belt, the fan-shaped gravelly layer slowly gives way to deposits with increasing levels of sand; the texture becomes finer thanks to the presence of silt and clay.

The area in which the ‘Venezia’ PDO is produced can confer specific characteristics on the various wines depending on the vine varieties used and where they are grown. White varieties are generally grown in the looser, stonier soils in order to obtain greater fragrance and freshness. The wines thus obtained express fresh floral and fruity notes and are also excellent for making sparkling wine. The clay soils are used for red grape varieties to have red and rosé wines with more body and structure. The high mineral content of clay soils makes it possible to obtain full-flavoured wines thanks to the good tannin content and an optimal acidity balance.

The wines produced have colours ranging from straw yellow to golden depending on the length of maceration, combined with intense, fine and long-lasting aromas thanks to temperature variations in the pre-harvest period, and harmonious, clean and full-bodied flavours thanks to the gravelly soil in the northern part and silty clay soils in the southern part. The result is that the white wines produced in loose soil show fresh and fruity notes and are particularly suitable for making sparkling wine, whilst the red varieties in the more clayey soils are well-structured and lasting, and lend themselves to ageing.

Category (1) Wine:

Thanks to the heavy clay soils in which the red grape varieties used to make wines from this category are grown, the red and rosé wines of the ‘Venezia’ PDO have more body and structure and a high, long-lasting colour intensity. On the nose, notes of jam and berries or spicy notes of tobacco or grassy notes may be more pronounced. Overall, the taste is always full with good tannin and an excellent acidity balance. White wines made from grapes grown in looser, stonier soils are fragrant and fresh, with primary fruity and floral notes on the nose, that refine into notes of apple, pear and apricot that contrast with notes of acacia, wildflowers and camomile. The degree of structure may vary but an excellent apple note stands out, which derives from the large variations between day and night temperatures. These characteristics are amplified in the Passito wines. In this area, there is an established tradition of placing the grapes to be used for the production of Passito wines in drying houses. These grapes are often first left out to dry on the vine. In particular, Verduzzo Trevigiano and Friulano are especially suitable for raisining and can be accompanied to varying degrees by other varieties in order to increase the aromatic or acid fraction.

Categories (4) Sparkling wine, (5) Quality sparkling wine, (6) Quality aromatic sparkling wine and (8) Semi-sparkling wine:

The white varieties produce wines with fresh floral and fruity notes as a result of the land with loose, stony soil, which gives the white varieties more fragrance and freshness, helped by the temperature variations between day and night that are a feature of a humid, temperate climate. They are therefore particularly suitable for the production of sparkling and semi-sparkling wines, a practice that has become so well-established in the area that it is now one of the most important in the world. This is a clear sign of the eminent suitability of this environment.

The colours found in the various categories of ‘Venezia’ PDO sparkling wines, which are white or rosé and may include indication of the grape varieties Pinot, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Nero, Chardonnay and Traminer, are straw yellow of varying intensity, sometimes with hints of gold or copper, or tending to pink if made from black grape varieties and fermented off skins. They have a fine, long-lasting foam and a delicate, sometimes fruity aroma. They have a fresh taste ranging from brut nature to demi-sec, sometimes sweet and aromatic in the case of the Traminer variety.

There is a well-established tradition in the territory of the ‘Venezia’ PDO, i.e. in the area from the hills around Treviso down to the Piave river valley, of producing wines under the Sparkling wine, Quality sparkling wine and Quality aromatic sparkling wine categories using the method of secondary fermentation in autoclaves (Charmat method). For these wines, it is customary in the area to carry out secondary fermentation in autoclaves for varying lengths of time, delaying the release for consumption of the wine obtained, in order to lend the wine some specific characteristics, such as notes of bread crust depending on the duration of the contact between the disintegrated yeast cells and the wine subject to secondary fermentation, and fine, long-lasting bubbles based on the length of the secondary fermentation.

The category (8) Semi-sparkling wines of the ‘Venezia’ PDO, which are white or rosé and may include indication of the grape varieties Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, have a straw yellow or pink colour of varying intensity, sometimes coppery in the case of Pinot Grigio. They have a delicate and fruity aroma and a taste ranging from dry to medium-dry.

Human factors

Wine-growing has been practised since Roman times in the areas covered by the ‘Venezia’ PDO, as shown by the large amount of evidence found. Many of these lands were laid waste during the barbarian invasions. In the Middle Ages, the bishops of Concordia Sagittaria decided to build the Summaga Abbey; this was entrusted to the Benedictines who contributed to the expansion of the amount of land planted with vines and wheat. The monasteries became true centres of learning and from the 19th century were important points of reference for wine-growing and wine production. However, it would be the Republic of Venice, with the birth of the ‘Stato da Terra’, that would give a major boost to the development of local wine production, creating a ‘wine-growing aristocracy’ that would enable small farmers to acquire new information and new wine-making techniques.

The wines in Venice were of a quality not seen in the wines from ‘the outside’ (foreign wines), as a result of both the natural suitability of the environment for growing vines and the race to improve quality by nobles who sought to affirm their prestigious status even in wine-growing and wine production.

In the wine sector of the ‘Venezia’ PDO area, there has been a new approach to vineyard management over the last 20-25 years, since the frost damage in 1985. This is based on planting densities and the selection of clones aimed at improving the quality of wines; strong wine processing skills and, particularly for sparkling wines in the various categories, the adjustment of the fermentation and secondary fermentation in autoclaves; and the timing of the wines’ release for consumption, in order to obtain the best possible quality, building on the age-old history during which human attention, dedication and tenacity laid the foundation for the ‘Venezia’ PDO.

The area’s culture of sparkling wine is now self-evident and can be considered traditional, as can the varieties used, which have historically been grown in the production area and which include Pinot Nero, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Bianco, Traminer, Tocai Friulano, Verduzzo, Glera and Raboso. The wines on offer are a good reflection of the ‘Venezia’ PDO and the great technical skills and business acumen of the producers.

9. Essential further conditions (packaging, labelling, other requirements)

NONE

Link to the product specification

https://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/15193

(1) OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671.

		ISSN 1977-091X
Official Journal of the European Union		C 351

English edition	Information and Notices	Volume 63 21 October 2020

Contents		page
	II Information
	INFORMATION FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES
	European Commission
2020/C 351/01	Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.9592 — Freudenberg/L&B) ( 1 )	1
2020/C 351/02	Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.9966 — EQT/Colisée) ( 1 )	2
2020/C 351/03	Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.9483 — Engie/Powerlines) ( 1 )	3
2020/C 351/04	Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.9941 — Private Theory Luxco/ARC Group) ( 1 )	4
2020/C 351/05	Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.9965 — ECP ControlCo/First Sentier Investors/Terra-Gen Power Holdings II) ( 1 )	5

	IV Notices
	NOTICES FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES
	European Commission
2020/C 351/06	Euro exchange rates — 20 October 2020	6
	Court of Auditors
2020/C 351/07	Annual report on EU agencies for the 2019 financial year	7

	Currency	Exchange rate
USD	US dollar	1,1810
JPY	Japanese yen	124,79
DKK	Danish krone	7,4425
GBP	Pound sterling	0,91329
SEK	Swedish krona	10,3805
CHF	Swiss franc	1,0724
ISK	Iceland króna	164,00
NOK	Norwegian krone	10,9698
BGN	Bulgarian lev	1,9558
CZK	Czech koruna	27,233
HUF	Hungarian forint	365,68
PLN	Polish zloty	4,5809
RON	Romanian leu	4,8761
TRY	Turkish lira	9,3301
AUD	Australian dollar	1,6801
CAD	Canadian dollar	1,5577
HKD	Hong Kong dollar	9,1528
NZD	New Zealand dollar	1,8006
SGD	Singapore dollar	1,6036
KRW	South Korean won	1 346,35
ZAR	South African rand	19,5245
CNY	Chinese yuan renminbi	7,8918
HRK	Croatian kuna	7,5826
IDR	Indonesian rupiah	17 373,10
MYR	Malaysian ringgit	4,9017
PHP	Philippine peso	57,333
RUB	Russian rouble	92,0238
THB	Thai baht	36,965
BRL	Brazilian real	6,6182
MXN	Mexican peso	25,0315
INR	Indian rupee	86,8465

	V Announcements
	PROCEDURES RELATING TO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COMMON COMMERCIAL POLICY
	European Commission
2020/C 351/08	Notice of initiation of an anti-dumping proceeding concerning imports of steel wind towers originating in the People’s Republic of China	8
	OTHER ACTS
	European Commission
2020/C 351/09	Publication of an application for a Union amendment to a product specification for a name in the wine sector pursuant to referred to in Article 97(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council	20


	(1) Text with EEA relevance.