ISSN 1725-2423

doi:10.3000/17252423.C_2011.289.eng

Official Journal

of the European Union

C 289

European flag  

English edition

Information and Notices

Volume 54
1 October 2011


Notice No

Contents

page

 

II   Information

 

INFORMATION FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES

 

European Commission

2011/C 289/01

Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU — Cases where the Commission raises no objections ( 1 )

1

2011/C 289/02

Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case COMP/M.6347 — DOW/UBE/JV) ( 2 )

2

2011/C 289/03

Communication from the Commission relating to the overall allocation of certain quotas opened by the European Union for products in the rice sector in 2011

3

 

IV   Notices

 

NOTICES FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES

 

Council

2011/C 289/04

Notice for the attention of the person to which restrictive measures provided for in Council Decision 2011/486/CFSP as implemented by Council Implementing Decision 2011/639/CFSP and Council Regulation (EU) No 753/2011 as implemented by Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 968/2011 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Afghanistan apply

4

 

European Commission

2011/C 289/05

Euro exchange rates

6

 

Court of Justice of the European Union

2011/C 289/06

Decision of the Court of Justice of 13 September 2011 on the lodging and service of procedural documents by means of e-Curia

7

2011/C 289/07

Decision of the General Court of 14 September 2011 on the lodging and service of procedural documents by means of e-Curia

9

2011/C 289/08

Decision of the Civil Service Tribunal No 3/2011 taken at the Plenary Meeting on 20 September 2011 on the lodging and service of procedural documents by means of e-Curia

11

 

V   Announcements

 

ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES

 

European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop)

2011/C 289/09

Open call for proposals — GP/RPA/ReferNet-FPA/002/11 — ReferNet — Cedefop’s European Network for Vocational Education and Training (VET)

13

 

OTHER ACTS

 

European Commission

2011/C 289/10

Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin of agricultural products and foodstuffs

15

 


 

(1)   Text with EEA relevance, except for products falling under Annex I to the Treaty

 

(2)   Text with EEA relevance

EN

 


II Information

INFORMATION FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES

European Commission

1.10.2011   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 289/1


Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU

Cases where the Commission raises no objections

(Text with EEA relevance, except for products falling under Annex I to the Treaty)

2011/C 289/01

Date of adoption of the decision

2.9.2011

Reference number of State Aid

SA.33142 (11/N)

Member State

Italy

Region

Calabria

Title (and/or name of the beneficiary)

Non aiuto misura 226 (Enti Pubblici)

Legal basis

PSR Calabria 2007-2013, allegato X — Scheda di misura 226 [articolo 36, b), vi); articolo 48, regolamento (CE) n. 1698/2005]

Decisione della Commissione C(2010) 1164 del 26 febbraio 2010 di approvazione del PSR Calabria 2007-2013

Type of measure

Scheme

Objective

Forestry, Environmental protection

Form of aid

Direct grant

Budget

 

Overall budget: EUR 8 million

 

Annual budget: EUR 8 million

Intensity

100 %

Duration (period)

Until 31.12.2013

Economic sectors

Forestry and logging

Name and address of the granting authority

Regione Calabria

Dipartimento Agricoltura, Foreste e Forestazione

Other information

The authentic text(s) of the decision, from which all confidential information has been removed, can be found at:

http://ec.europa.eu/community_law/state_aids/state_aids_texts_en.htm


1.10.2011   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 289/2


Non-opposition to a notified concentration

(Case COMP/M.6347 — DOW/UBE/JV)

(Text with EEA relevance)

2011/C 289/02

On 21 September 2011, the Commission decided not to oppose the above notified concentration and to declare it compatible with the common market. This decision is based on Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004. The full text of the decision is available only in English and will be made public after it is cleared of any business secrets it may contain. It will be available:

in the merger section of the Competition website of the Commission (http://ec.europa.eu/competition/mergers/cases/). This website provides various facilities to help locate individual merger decisions, including company, case number, date and sectoral indexes,

in electronic form on the EUR-Lex website (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/en/index.htm) under document number 32011M6347. EUR-Lex is the on-line access to the European law.


1.10.2011   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 289/3


Communication from the Commission relating to the overall allocation of certain quotas opened by the European Union for products in the rice sector in 2011

2011/C 289/03

Commission Regulation (EU) No 1274/2009 (1) opened tariff quotas for the import of rice originating in the overseas countries and territories (OCT).

The overall allocation for 2011 of each quota provided for by that Regulation is set out in the Annex to this communication.


(1)  OJ L 344, 23.12.2009, p. 3.


ANNEX

Overall allocation for 2011 of the quotas under Regulation (EU) No 1274/2009

Origin

Order number

Import licence applications introduced for the September 2011 subperiod

Overall allocation of the quota for 2011

Netherlands Antilles and Aruba

09.4189

 (1)

0 %

Least developed OCTs

09.4190

 (1)

0 %


(1)  No allocation coefficient for this subperiod: no licence applications were sent to the Commission.


IV Notices

NOTICES FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS, BODIES, OFFICES AND AGENCIES

Council

1.10.2011   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 289/4


Notice for the attention of the person to which restrictive measures provided for in Council Decision 2011/486/CFSP as implemented by Council Implementing Decision 2011/639/CFSP and Council Regulation (EU) No 753/2011 as implemented by Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 968/2011 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Afghanistan apply

2011/C 289/04

COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

The following information is brought to the attention of the persons that appear in the Annex to Council Decision 2011/486/CFSP as implemented by Council Implementing Decision 2011/639/CFSP (1), and in Annex I to Council Regulation (EU) No 753/2011 as implemented by Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 968/2011 (2) concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Afghanistan.

The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1988 (2011), imposing restrictive measures with respect to individuals and entities designated, prior to the date of adoption of this Resolution, as the Taliban and other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with them, as specified in section A (‘Individuals associated with the Taliban’) and section B (‘entities and other groups and undertaking associated with the Taliban’) of the Consolidated List of the Committee established pursuant to Resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1333 (2000), as well as other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with the Taliban.

The persons concerned may submit at any time a request to the UN Committee established pursuant to paragraph 30 of UNSCR 1988 (2011), together with any supporting documentation, for the decisions to include them in the UN list to be reconsidered. Such request should be sent to the following address:

United Nations — Focal point for delisting

Security Council Subsidiary Organs Branch

Room S-3055 E

New York, NY 10017

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

See for more information at: http://www.un.org/sc/committees/751/comguide.shtml

Further to the UN decision, the Council of the European Union has determined that the person designated in the abovementioned Resolution should be included in the lists of persons, groups, undertakings and entities which are subject to the restrictive measures provided for in Decision 2011/486/CFSP and Regulation (EU) No 753/2011. The grounds for listing of the persons concerned appear in the relevant entries in Annex to the Council Decision and in Annex I to the Council Regulation.

The attention of the persons concerned is drawn to the possibility of making an application to the competent authorities of the relevant Member State(s) as indicated in the websites in Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 753/2011, in order to obtain an authorisation to use frozen funds for basic needs or specific payments (cf. Article 5 of the Regulation).

The persons concerned may submit a request to the Council, together with supporting documentation, that the decision to include them on the abovementioned lists should be reconsidered, to the following address:

Council of the European Union

General Secretariat

DG K Coordination

Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 175

1048 Bruxelles/Brussel

BELGIQUE/BELGIË

The attention of the persons concerned is also drawn to the possibility of challenging the Council’s decision before the General Court of the European Union, in accordance with the conditions laid down in Article 275, second paragraph, and Article 263, fourth and sixth paragraphs, of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.


(1)  OJ L 257, 1.10.2011, p. 24.

(2)  OJ L 257, 1.10.2011, p. 1.


European Commission

1.10.2011   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 289/6


Euro exchange rates (1)

30 September 2011

2011/C 289/05

1 euro =


 

Currency

Exchange rate

USD

US dollar

1,3503

JPY

Japanese yen

103,79

DKK

Danish krone

7,4417

GBP

Pound sterling

0,86665

SEK

Swedish krona

9,2580

CHF

Swiss franc

1,2170

ISK

Iceland króna

 

NOK

Norwegian krone

7,8880

BGN

Bulgarian lev

1,9558

CZK

Czech koruna

24,754

HUF

Hungarian forint

292,55

LTL

Lithuanian litas

3,4528

LVL

Latvian lats

0,7093

PLN

Polish zloty

4,4050

RON

Romanian leu

4,3575

TRY

Turkish lira

2,5100

AUD

Australian dollar

1,3874

CAD

Canadian dollar

1,4105

HKD

Hong Kong dollar

10,5213

NZD

New Zealand dollar

1,7660

SGD

Singapore dollar

1,7589

KRW

South Korean won

1 594,92

ZAR

South African rand

10,9085

CNY

Chinese yuan renminbi

8,6207

HRK

Croatian kuna

7,4995

IDR

Indonesian rupiah

12 253,97

MYR

Malaysian ringgit

4,3112

PHP

Philippine peso

59,039

RUB

Russian rouble

43,3500

THB

Thai baht

42,048

BRL

Brazilian real

2,5067

MXN

Mexican peso

18,5936

INR

Indian rupee

66,1190


(1)  Source: reference exchange rate published by the ECB.


Court of Justice of the European Union

1.10.2011   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 289/7


DECISION OF THE COURT OF JUSTICE

of 13 September 2011

on the lodging and service of procedural documents by means of e-Curia

(000/2011/)

THE COURT OF JUSTICE,

Having regard to the Rules of Procedure and, in particular, Articles 37(7) and 79(3) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

In order to take account of developments in communication technology, an information technology application has been developed to allow the lodging and service of procedural documents by electronic means.

(2)

This application, which is based on an electronic authentication system using a combination of a user identification and a password, meets the requirements of authenticity, integrity and confidentiality of documents exchanged,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The information technology application known as ‘e-Curia’, common to the three constituent courts of the Court of Justice of the European Union, allows the lodging and service of procedural documents by electronic means under the conditions laid down by this Decision.

Article 2

Use of this application shall require a personal user identification and password.

Article 3

A procedural document lodged by means of e-Curia shall be deemed to be the original of that document for the purposes of the first subparagraph of Article 37(1) of the Rules of Procedure where the representative’s user identification and password have been used to effect that lodgment. Such identification shall constitute the signature of the document concerned.

Article 4

A document lodged by means of e-Curia must be accompanied by the Annexes referred to therein and a schedule listing such Annexes.

It shall not be necessary to lodge certified copies of a document lodged by means of e-Curia or of any Annexes thereto.

Article 5

A procedural document shall be deemed to have been lodged for the purposes of Article 37(3) of the Rules of Procedure at the time of the representative’s validation of lodgment of that document.

The relevant time shall be the time in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Article 6

Procedural documents, including judgments and orders, shall be served on the parties’ representatives by means of e-Curia where they have expressly accepted this method of service or, in the context of a case, where they have consented to this method of service by lodging a procedural document by means of e-Curia.

Procedural documents shall also be served by means of e-Curia on Member States, other States which are parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area and institutions, bodies, offices or agencies of the Union that have accepted this method of service.

Article 7

The intended recipients of the documents served referred to in Article 6 shall be notified by e-mail of any document served on them by means of e-Curia.

A procedural document shall be served at the time when the intended recipient (representative or his assistant) requests access to that document. In the absence of any request for access, the document shall be deemed to have been served on the expiry of the seventh day following the day on which the notification e-mail was sent.

Where a party is represented by more than one agent or lawyer, the time to be taken into account in the reckoning of time-limits shall be the time when the first request for access was made.

The relevant time shall be the time in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Article 8

The Registrar shall draw up the conditions of use of e-Curia and ensure that they are observed. Any use of e-Curia contrary to those conditions may result in the deactivation of the access account concerned.

The Court shall take the necessary steps to protect e-Curia from any abuse or malicious use.

Users shall be notified by e-mail of any action taken pursuant to this Article that prevents them from using their access account.

Article 9

This decision shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Done at Luxembourg, 13 September 2011.

Registrar

A. CALOT ESCOBAR

President

V. SKOURIS


1.10.2011   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 289/9


DECISION OF THE GENERAL COURT

of 14 September 2011

on the lodging and service of procedural documents by means of e-Curia

2011/C 289/07

THE GENERAL COURT,

Having regard to the Rules of Procedure and, in particular, Articles 43(7) and 100(3) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

In order to take account of developments in communication technology, an information technology application has been developed to allow the lodging and service of procedural documents by electronic means.

(2)

This application, which is based on an electronic authentication system using a combination of a user identification and a password, meets the requirements of authenticity, integrity and confidentiality of documents exchanged,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The information technology application known as ‘e-Curia’, common to the three constituent courts of the Court of Justice of the European Union, allows the lodging and service of procedural documents by electronic means under the conditions laid down by this Decision.

Article 2

Use of this application shall require a personal user identification and password.

Article 3

A procedural document lodged by means of e-Curia shall be deemed to be the original of that document for the purposes of the first subparagraph of Article 43(1) of the Rules of Procedure where the representative’s user identification and password have been used to effect that lodgment. Such identification shall constitute the signature of the document concerned.

Article 4

A document lodged by means of e-Curia must be accompanied by the Annexes referred to therein and a schedule listing such Annexes.

It shall not be necessary to lodge certified copies of a document lodged by means of e-Curia or of any Annexes thereto.

Article 5

A procedural document shall be deemed to have been lodged for the purposes of Article 43(3) of the Rules of Procedure at the time of the representative’s validation of lodgment of that document.

The relevant time shall be the time in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Article 6

Procedural documents, including judgments and orders, shall be served on the parties’ representatives by means of e-Curia where they have expressly accepted this method of service or, in the context of a case, where they have consented to this method of service by lodging a procedural document by means of e-Curia.

Procedural documents shall also be served by means of e-Curia on Member States, other States which are parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area and institutions, bodies, offices or agencies of the Union that have accepted this method of service.

Article 7

The intended recipients of the documents served referred to in Article 6 shall be notified by e-mail of any document served on them by means of e-Curia.

A procedural document shall be served at the time when the intended recipient (representative or his assistant) requests access to that document. In the absence of any request for access, the document shall be deemed to have been served on the expiry of the seventh day following the day on which the notification e-mail was sent.

Where a party is represented by more than one agent or lawyer, the time to be taken into account in the reckoning of time-limits shall be the time when the first request for access was made.

The relevant time shall be the time in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Article 8

The Registrar shall draw up the conditions of use of e-Curia and ensure that they are observed. Any use of e-Curia contrary to those conditions may result in the deactivation of the access account concerned.

The General Court shall take the necessary steps to protect e-Curia from any abuse or malicious use.

Users shall be notified by e-mail of any action taken pursuant to this Article that prevents them from using their access account.

Article 9

This decision shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Done at Luxembourg, 14 September 2011.

Registrar

E. COULON

President

M. JAEGER


1.10.2011   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 289/11


DECISION OF THE CIVIL SERVICE TRIBUNAL

No 3/2011

taken at the Plenary Meeting on 20 September 2011

on the lodging and service of procedural documents by means of e-Curia

2011/C 289/08

THE EUROPEAN UNION CIVIL SERVICE TRIBUNAL,

Having regard to the Rules of Procedure and, in particular, Articles 34(7) and 99(3) thereof,

Whereas:

(1)

In order to take account of developments in communication technology, an information technology application has been developed to allow the lodging and service of procedural documents by electronic means.

(2)

This application, which is based on an electronic authentication system using a combination of a user identification and a password, meets the requirements of authenticity, integrity and confidentiality of documents exchanged,

HAS DECIDED AS FOLLOWS:

Article 1

The information technology application known as ‘e-Curia’, common to the three constituent courts of the Court of Justice of the European Union, allows the lodging and service of procedural documents by electronic means under the conditions laid down by this Decision.

Article 2

Use of this application shall require a personal user identification and password.

Article 3

A procedural document lodged by means of e-Curia shall be deemed to be the original of that document for the purposes of the first subparagraph of Article 34(1) of the Rules of Procedure where the representative’s user identification and password have been used to effect that lodgment. Such identification shall constitute the signature of the document concerned.

Article 4

A document lodged by means of e-Curia must be accompanied by the Annexes referred to therein and a schedule listing such Annexes.

It shall not be necessary to lodge certified copies of a document lodged by means of e-Curia or of any Annexes thereto.

Article 5

A procedural document shall be deemed to have been lodged for the purposes of Article 34(3) of the Rules of Procedure at the time of the representative’s validation of lodgment of that document.

The relevant time shall be the time in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Article 6

Procedural documents, including judgments and orders, shall be served on the parties’ representatives by means of e-Curia where they have expressly accepted this method of service or, in the context of a case, where they have consented to this method of service by lodging a procedural document by means of e-Curia.

Procedural documents shall also be served by means of e-Curia on Member States, other States which are parties to the Agreement on the European Economic Area and institutions, bodies, offices or agencies of the Union that have accepted this method of service.

Article 7

The intended recipients of the documents served referred to in Article 6 shall be notified by e-mail of any document served on them by means of e-Curia.

A procedural document shall be served at the time when the intended recipient (representative or his assistant) requests access to that document. In the absence of any request for access, the document shall be deemed to have been served on the expiry of the seventh day following the day on which the notification e-mail was sent.

Where a party is represented by more than one agent or lawyer, the time to be taken into account in the reckoning of time-limits shall be the time when the first request for access was made.

The relevant time shall be the time in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

Article 8

The Registrar shall draw up the conditions of use of e-Curia and ensure that they are observed. Any use of e-Curia contrary to those conditions may result in the deactivation of the access account concerned.

The Tribunal shall take the necessary steps to protect e-Curia from any abuse or malicious use.

Users shall be notified by e-mail of any action taken pursuant to this Article that prevents them from using their access account.

Article 9

This decision shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Done at Luxembourg, 20 September 2011.

Registrar

W. HAKENBERG

President

P. MAHONEY


V Announcements

ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES

European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop)

1.10.2011   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 289/13


Open call for proposals — GP/RPA/ReferNet-FPA/002/11

ReferNet — Cedefop’s European Network for Vocational Education and Training (VET)

2011/C 289/09

1.   Objectives and description

Founded in 1975 and based in Greece since 1995, the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) is an agency of the European Union (EU). Acknowledged as an authoritative source of information and expertise on VET, skills and competences, its mission is to support European vocational education and training (VET) policy development and contribute to its implementation.

Refernet is Cedefop’s European network for VET. The mission devoted to ReferNet is to support Cedefop by reporting on national VET systems and policy developments and by raising the visibility of VET and Cedefop’s products. It comprises 29 members known as ReferNet national partners from an EU Member State, Iceland and Norway. ReferNet national partners are key institutions involved in VET in the country they represent.

With the objective of establishing a European network for VET — ReferNet, this call aims at selecting one applicant from each eligible country with which Cedefop will conclude a four-year framework partnership agreement; and at concluding with each successful applicant a specific grant agreement for a work plan to be carried out in 2012.

Framework partnership agreements are implemented through specific grant agreements. Therefore, applicants shall not only submit a proposal for the 4-year framework partnership (which, if successful, will lead to the signature of a Framework Partnership Agreement for the years 2012 to 2015) but also the grant application for the 2012 action (which may lead to the signature of a Specific Grant Agreement for the year 2012). The applicant must demonstrate its capacity to carry out all the activities foreseen over the four-year period and ensure adequate co-financing of the implementation of the work plan.

2.   Budget and project duration

The estimated budget available for the four-year duration of the framework partnership agreements amounts to EUR 4 000 000, depending on the annual decisions of the Budgetary Authority.

The total available budget for the 2012 annual work plan (project duration: 12 months) is EUR 955 000 for the 27 Member States, Iceland and Norway.

The grant varies according to the country population and is awarded for carrying out an annual work plan. The total available budget for the 2012 work plan will be distributed on the basis of three country groups based on country population:

—   Country group 1: Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Slovenia and Iceland. Maximum grant amount: EUR 23 615.

—   Country group 2: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Sweden and Norway. Maximum grant amount: EUR 33 625.

—   Country group 3: France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom. Maximum grant amount: EUR 43 620.

The Union grant is a financial contribution to the beneficiary’s (and/or co-beneficiaries’) costs which must be supplemented by own financial contribution and/or local, regional, national and/or private contributions. The total Union contribution shall not exceed 70 % of the eligible costs.

Cedefop reserves the right not to award the total budget available.

3.   Eligibility criteria

To be eligible, applicants should meet the following requirements:

(a)

be a public or a private organisation, with a legal status and legal personality (natural persons, i.e. individuals, are not eligible).

(b)

be established in one of the following countries:

Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Norway.

4.   Deadline

Applications for the framework partnership agreement AND the 2012 work plan must be submitted at the latest on 20 October 2011.

The 2012 work plan following the award of the specific grant agreement 2012 will start in January 2012 and lasts 12 months.

5.   Further information

The detailed specifications of the call for proposals, the application form and its annexes will be available as from 30 September 2011 on Cedefop’s website at the following address:

http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/working-with-us/public-procurements/calls-for-proposals.aspx

Applications must comply with the requirements set out in the full text of the call and be submitted using the official forms provided.

The evaluation of proposals will be based on the principles of transparency and equal treatment.

All submitted applications will be evaluated by a committee of experts against the eligibility, exclusion, selection and award criteria defined in the full text version of the call.


OTHER ACTS

European Commission

1.10.2011   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 289/15


Publication of an application for registration pursuant to Article 6(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin of agricultural products and foodstuffs

2011/C 289/10

This publication confers the right to object to the application pursuant to Article 7 of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (1). Statements of objection must reach the Commission within six months of the date of this publication.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

‘VADEHAVSSTUDE’

EC No: DK-PGI-0005-0770-25.03.2009

PGI ( X ) PDO ( )

1.   Name:

‘Vadehavsstude’

2.   Member State or third country:

Denmark

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff:

3.1.   Product type:

Class 1.1.

Fresh meat (and offal)

3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies:

‘Vadehavsstude’ is fresh meat from young cattle reared in the defined geographical area. The animals are of the Danish Black and White breed, also known as Danish Holstein, or a cross between the Danish Holstein and the Belgian Blue. ‘Vadehavsstude’ is exclusively from castrated males, which must have been born in the specified geographical area.

Fresh meat

:

Whole carcases, half carcases, quarters and cuts

Slaughter weight

:

200-380 kg

Age at slaughter

:

Minimum 18 — less than 30 months

Shape

:

min. 3,50

Colour

:

3-4

Fatness

:

3-4

The scale for colour and fatness corresponds to the minimum quality scale required by the Danish Crown notification for beef.

3.3.   Raw materials:

3.4.   Feed (for products of animal origin only):

In winter at least 50 % of the animals’ feed must be produced in the defined area.

In the winter months the feed consists of grass and maize silage.

The animals must graze in the salt meadows of the specified geographical area for at least 4½ months per year.

3.5.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area:

All animals must be reared in the specified geographical area and must be born in the specified area.

3.6.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.:

3.7.   Specific rules concerning labelling:

All slaughtered animals are stamped with Vadehav Marsk og Mad’s logo.

Image

Image

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area:

The geographical area is the Wadden Sea region of south-west Denmark. The Wadden Sea region comprises the three islands of Romø, Mandø and Fanø, as well as the mainland, where the Danish Wadden Sea region is delimited in the south by the German border. The boundary to the north is identical to the northern boundary of the Wadden Sea National Park. The area is delimited to the east by the A11 motorway.

5.   Link with the geographical area:

5.1.   Specificity of the geographical area:

Ribe was founded in around 710 as a trading post, and archaeological digs have revealed the goods sold there. One of the products found on the market at an early stage was cattle. The cattle were from the villages in the salt meadows along the Wadden Sea, meaning the local farmers were rearing cattle as early as the Iron Age. Cattle continued to be sold in Ribe throughout the Middle Ages, and the cattle from the Wadden Sea region were for many centuries the most important export from the trading post of Ribe.

The production of ‘Vadehavsstude’ (Wadden Sea beef) builds on this time-honoured tradition of rearing cattle in the salt meadows. Life for farmers in the region was often hard. Each year the area was hit by storm floods which flooded the farmland. The sea left behind fertile silt, thereby creating lush meadows in the salt lands where the animals grazed in the summer, and where winter fodder could be gathered.

In the article ‘Jordbundsundersøgelser i marsken’ (Agricultural studies in the salt meadows) from the ‘Tidsskrift for planteavl’ (Journal of crop production) of 1968, Lorens Hansen looks at soil samples taken only from the salt meadows. The article states that the soil of the salt meadows is naturally very rich in potassium, which corresponds to the high clay content and means of formation. In normal arable land the sodium content is seldom determined because it is very low, with no impact on the soil structure. A very high sodium content is often found in the soil of the salt meadows due to the sea salt deposited when the meadows were created.

The hardy grasses that are well suited to the salt meadows are rich in nutrients and at the same time able to withstand various types of weather. In fact it is the harsh, salty impact of the Wadden Sea that makes the grazing in the area unique. When the land is flooded with seawater, salt and minerals are deposited in the soil. The following plants and grasses are found in particular on the foreland:

fine grass, small self-sown white clover, bird’s-foot trefoil, yellow rattle, buttercups and thrift flourish furthest in towards the dyke,

sea lavender, sea arrowgrass and some rough grass grow in the lower-lying area,

sea meadow grass and glasswort grow in the furthest/lowest part of the foreland.

5.2.   Specificity of the product:

A blind-tasting test carried out with meat from cattle reared in the salt meadows showed that the meat was:

more tender,

more succulent,

saltier in taste,

of a better consistency,

more aromatic

than meat from conventional cattle.

Conventional meat only scored higher points than Wadden Sea meat for fatness and colour.

5.3.   Causal link between the geographical area and a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product:

The harsh surroundings are very demanding of the farmers who rear cattle in the Wadden Sea region. An old description of the conditions reads: ‘One thing was special about the area: the large meadows where huge quantities of grass were produced for the hungry animals and hay was harvested for the winter. The grass in the salt meadows was particularly wholesome because it was flooded several times a year and therefore received extra natural salt and minerals from the seawater. A lot of calves were born in the farms inland and were then sent out to the salt meadows to be fattened up for sale on the markets in Husum or Hamburg. Often the large calves were weak or actually sick when they were taken out to the meadows, but a summer of lush meadow grass turned them into healthy, well-nourished cattle.’.

The beef produced in the Wadden Sea region has for centuries been known as a good, high-quality product, the meat having a distinctive salty taste due to the special conditions for growth in the area. When the area is flooded at high tide, salt and minerals are deposited in the soil. The animals graze on the salt meadows, where the high potassium and sodium content in the grass impacts on the taste of the meat and gives ‘Vadehavsstude’ its special quality and distinctive salty taste.

‘Vadehavsstude’ is sold as a special product from the Wadden Sea National Park, and the name is used both by local producers and meat distributors.

The production of ‘Vadehavsstude’ is presented in tourist brochures on the Wadden Sea region and the Wadden Sea National Park as an important characteristic of the area.

Reference to publication of the specification:

http://www.foedevarestyrelsen.dk/SiteCollectionDocuments/25_PDF_word_filer%20til%20download/06kontor/Maerkning/Oprindelsesmaerkning_af_foedevarer/Varespecifikation%20for%20Vadehavsstude.pdf


(1)  OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12.