The European Court of Justice (ECJ) is expected to rule that vine leaves are not covered by European Union (EU) pesticide residue legislation.
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An advocate general – whose advice is usually followed by the full court – has said vine leaves are not legally vegetables and so not regulated by directive 90/642. If confirmed, this would be a legal precedent across the whole EU.
The case involves a Finland vine leaf importer E. Gavrielides Oy, who appealed against Finnish customs blocking a delivery after deciding the vine leaves contained too much pesticide. The company appealed and the case was referred to the ECJ for a ruling on EU law, which takes precedent over national regulations.
