Administration Board  of C.E.Liège - 9th March 2006

Point 4 of the agenda

REPORT OF ACTIVITY OF 2005

During 2005 C.E.Liège has reinforced the current actions carried out in the previous years and has continued to follow a strategy towards the future enlargement of CE.Liège concerning its commitment and taking in account the needs of the industry of the sector.

First of all our confederation has been seriously committed as regards the implementation of factual actions, trying not to disperse the human and financial resources at her disposal.
We must highlight that to carry out these actions we had the indispensable collaboration of the associations, associated members, members of the CASA, the Technical Committee, the members and experts of the Natural Cork Users Group (NCUG), the experts that make part of the 2 WG’s created in the NCUG  (WG1- sensibility of consumers to TCA and WG2- Guidance for the buying of cork stoppers), the technicians of the AD’Hoc Group of the Council of Europe, of our representatives in the Advisory Group on Forestry and Cork and of the secretariat of C.E.Liège
We should stress also that the actions carried out by C.E.Liège are the result of the collaboration and dedication of many of its members who undertake their role with total loyalty and a strong spirit of mission.

1. NATURAL CORK USER GROUP- NCUG

This Group (NCUG) has met again in May 2005, when was taking place the London International Wine Trade Fair). As in previous years, this meeting was attended by delegates and experts in representation of the member countries of C.E.Liège; and the chairman of the Board as well as the Secretary General were there too.
Among the persons who attended that meeting were also the president of NCUG, Terry Lee, the secretary of the Group, Ann Harkins, the coordinator of the GT Guidance for Buying Cork Stoppers, Ian Rogerson, and the chairman of WSA-Wines & Spirit Association, John-Corbett Millward.

Unfortunately, the representation of the ‘Trade’ was very weak (as well as in previous years), with 4 participants.
We must underline the effort endeavoured by C.E.Liège on the financial level for the organisation of such meetings whenever they take place. The organisation of these meetings implies a lot of expenses, which concern travel and accommodation (hotel) expenses with the technicians who attend the meeting, and also the inherent costs with room booking, rental of equipment and other services, like coffee-breaks.
Our opinion is that we must make an additional effort to optimize the functioning of the NCUG, in order to make possible a dialogue between C.E.Liège and the U.K market, which is of great importance for the companies of the sector.

1.1. STUDY ON SENSIBILITY OF CONSUMERS TO TCA

C.E.Liège has contributed with € 70.000€ to this study and the results have not been those expected at the beginning of the works, for different reasons that we shall explain more in details in a specific document.

1.2. GUIDANCE FOR BUYING CORK STOPPERS

After the troublesome situation we have been witnessed of in 2004 (result of many vicissitudes) when the work done was presented, the Administrators of C.E.Liège who met on 19th September 2005, decided to create a Work Group which was constituted exclusively with experts from CE.Liège. This group has started to do the work it has been assigned for and has met already twice. On the 9th March 2006, in Milan, a document-basis of work shall be presented and forwarded to the members of the Administration Board for subsequent analysis and appreciation.
The document approved and which will result from this meeting will be the document to be submitted for analysis to the Work Group of the NCUG, which will met on the 23rd of March 2006, in London.

2. REVISION OF THE INTERNATIONAL CODE OF CORK STOPPERS MANUFACTURING PRACTICES  

The work of revision of the Code, assigned to the Technical Committee of C.E.Liège   has been carried out between February 2004 and December 2005 ; During this period of time 8 meetings have taken place and great part of the work was carried out, using e-mail’s technology, in order to accelerate the process and get opinions in tine.
As we got the final version approved, we passed to the next step which was to order the translation of the text into the 5 other idioms of C.E.Liège. The translation work started in the beginning of January 2006 and the editorial work (to edit the text in digital support - CD-Rom’s) started at the same tine. The timing for delivery of the CD’s in the 6 languages is mid-March.

3. C.A.S.A.- COMMITTEE OF ASSESSMENT OF THE SYSTECODE ACCREDITATION

During 2005, 4 meetings of this committee have taken place, additionally many e-mails have been sent, to share opinions and to agree about some amendments/corrections.
In conformity with the Internal Rules of the CASA, the experts that are members of this committee have carried their mission having as only purpose to give some information to the secretary general of C.E.Liège, in order to prepare and implement adequately the SYSTECODE, to contribute with their knowledge and give their opinion in relation to issues raised by the Chief of Project responsible for managing the system of Audits in accordance with the Code (Bureau Veritas).

4. SYSTECODE 2005

The evolution of the campaign SYSTECODE 2005 and its actions will be reported more in details in a specific document which will be forwarded to you.
However, we highlight some points:

• Increase of the number of audits performed by BUREAU VERITAS, in a total of 440 audits that took place in 7 countries, and which represents an increase of 8% ; that means also the companies are more aware of the interest and importance of SYSTECODE.
• Introduction of a new system of audit along 3 years:  the companies can receive a certificate with validation for a three year’s period, however they will be submitted to an annual assessment.
• Between February and May 2005, many actions for diffusion of the SYSTECODE took place as well as seminaries about the structure of the 2005 campaign in Santa Maria de Lamas, Montijo, S.Brás de Alportel, S.Vicente de Alcantâra and Palafrugell;
• Actions undertook for the training of auditors in Rome, Paris, Santa Maria de Lamas and Mérida.
• 46 new check-lists for Annual audits and Audits 3 years have been drawn up in 5 idioms (in a total of 100 documents).

5. ADVISORY GROUP ON  FORESTRY AND CORK INCLUDED

The delegates and representatives of C.E.Liège in this Advisory Group have attended 4 meetings, always in defense of cork oaks forests and of the justifiable interests of the sector.
The activity become visible was:

• The proposal for identifying on the label of the bottle the type of seal that has been put on top of the bottle.
• Our delegates have condemn the lack of quotes and references about the cork oaks forests in the text for the new policy regarding forestry management and proposed by the European Commission.

6. ACTIVITIES IN THE AMBIT OF STANDARDISATION

• Coordination of the secretary General and of the Ad-hoc Group, for a revision of the Standard ISO 633 – vocabulary
• The document is now in DIS phase, and we envisage the publication of the standard will occur by the end of 2006.
• We have guaranteed the follow up of the works carried out by the Group ISO GT 10 – Determination of  TCA 2,4,6 releasable, which is now being prepared to become CD document ;
• In the ambit of CEN, besides following up the work of the WG 261 that deals with issues regarding packaging, C.E.Liège has asked permission to be included as Liaison Member within the WG 127 – “ Fire rating for cork used in the construction industry”; this is very important for the manufacturers of products for the construction sector, in particular floors and walls coverings.
• Active participation of C.E.Liège in the meetings of CETIE; our delegate is presently D. Miguel Elena Rossello, who has attended the meetings of the Administration Board and of the Annual Congress.

7. COMMUNICATION

Further to the decision of the Board at the meeting at S. Vicente de Alcântara, there has been a re-structuration of the Communication department, in conformity with a document that had been forwarded by the Secretary General. Already since the 1st November the department of Communication has been restructured; at the moment the secretary general is looking for 2 persons to assess him in this service and who will stand as coordinators.
In the meantime, some actions have already been implemented:

A more detailed report will be presented in a specific document.

8. OTHER ACTIONS

• The trade mark SYSTECODE has been registered as System of Quality and of certification for corks manufacturers in the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market of the E.U.
• C.E.Liège has attended several seminaries and conferences with interventions in the ambit of the Code, Systecode and Cork Oak Forests Management
• Register of the “INTERNATIONAL CODE OF CORK OAK MANAGEMENT AND HARVESTING PRACTICE »

15TH February 2006
The Secretary General
José Cobra