Industry Circular

Number: 88-1

Date: August 18, 1988

Department of the Treasury

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms

Washington, D.C. 20226

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CERTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS OF U.S. WINE FOR EXPORT TO THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY (EEC)

Proprietors of Bonded Wineries, Bonded Wine Cellars, Taxpaid Wine Bottling Houses and Others Concerned

Background: The time frames referenced herein were established in response to concerns expressed by the Commission of the European Communities and are intended to facilitate the EEC administrative procedures associated with implementing the simplified requirements for completing Forms V.I.1. These requirements are described in Section 7 of ATF Procedure 86-1.

Purpose: This circular is issued to notify the public that the next issue of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Quarterly Bulletin will amend Section 8.02 of ATF Procedure 86-1 (see ATF Industry Circulars 86-2 and 86-6) to read as follows:

"8.02 Subject to the time frames specified in Section 8.02(a), ATF will submit, to the European Economic Community, the names, addresses and bonded winery registry numbers of the wineries which have correctly completed and submitted the certification statement referenced in Section 8.01 and will identify these wineries as being authorized, until such time as this authorization is withdrawn, to draw up V.I.1 documents in accordance with 'Commission Regulation (EEC) No. 3590/85 of December 18, 1985 on the certificate and analysis report required for the importation of wine, grape juice and grape must'.

(a) Except as provided for in Section 8.02(b), ATF's time frame for notifying the EEC of the identity of authorized wineries will depend on when the required certification statement is received by ATF, that is:

- if the certification statement is received prior to January 1, 1989, ATF will notify the EEC as soon as possible after receipt of the statement;

- as of 1989, if the certification statement is received during the period covering January 1 - June 30, ATF will notify the EEC as soon as possible after June 30 of the given year;

- as of 1989, if the certification statement is received during the period covering July 1 - December 31, ATF will notify the EEC as soon as possible after December 31 of the given year.

(b) Regardless of time of receipt, if a certification statement is submitted to ATF for the purpose of amending the name and/or address of a producer whose bonded winery registry number has already been identified to the EEC, ATF will notify the EEC of the amended name and/or address as soon as possible after receipt of the revised statement."

An ATF acknowledgement of the receipt of a certification statement will be sent to the submitting winery within two weeks of receipt. If this acknowledgement is not received, the winery should contact ATF's Alcohol Import-Export Branch without delay.

Inquiries. Inquiries concerning this procedure should refer to its number and should be addressed to:

Chief, Alcohol Import-Export Branch Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Attn: V.I.1 Certification Ariel Rios Federal Building 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20226

Acting Director