Contents
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007note, and in particular Article 75(2), thereof,Whereas:
(1)Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2104note lays down rules on the characteristics of the olive oils referred to in Part VIII, points 1 to 6, of Annex VII to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013.
(2)The limit values for the characteristics of olive oil laid down in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2104 reflect the trade standard for olive oil and olive-pomace oil of the International Olive Council (IOC)note (‘IOC Trade Standard’).
(3)At its 119th IOC session, which took place on 25 June 2024, the IOC adopted Decision DEC-III.2/119-VI/2024 revising document COI/T.20/DOC. NO. 15/REV. 11 – method for the organoleptic assessment of virgin olive oil with regard to certifying certain organoleptic characteristics. The Union voted in favour of that amendment, in accordance with Council Decision (EU) 2024/2911note.
(4)At its 121st IOC session which took place on 8 July 2025, the IOC adopted Decision DEC-III.1/121-VI/2025 amending the IOC Trade Standard as regards the total sterol content in monovarietal olive oils from either the Koroneiki or the Nocellara del Belice variety. The Union voted in favour of this amendment, in accordance with Council Decision (EU) 2025/1213note.
(5)There has been an increase in the number of monovarietal extra virgin olive oils placed on the market has increased as a result of changes in production practices and consumer preferences. Although these oils are authentic and of a high quality, some do not meet the required limit for total sterol content which is influenced mostly by the olive variety, as well as by other factors such as degree of olive ripeness, geographical area and irrigation.
(6)The IOC is currently carrying out a study on total sterol content in extra virgin olive oil. While this study is ongoing, the International Olive Council has provided as an intermediate solution by adopting an amendment to the IOC Trade Standard, that lowers the limit of total sterol in extra virgin olive oils for the two most concerned varieties, Koroneiki and Nocellara del Belice. That amendment allows producers to place those single variety oils on the market. As a different limit will apply for these varieties, it is important that both consumers and control authorities can easily identify that a specific olive oil is a monovarietal olive oil of one of these two varieties.
(7)In order to ensure the implementation at Union level of the most recent international standard established by the IOC on certifying organoleptic characteristics and the limit value for the parameter total sterol content in monovarietal olive oils from either the Koroneiki or the Nocellara del Belice variety, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2104 should be amended accordingly to reflect that implementation.
(8)Since monovarietal extra virgin olive oil covered by this derogation cannot currently be placed on the market under any olive oil category, operators should be able to benefit from the amendment of the marketing standards laid down in this Regulation without delay. The new marketing year for olive oil starts on 1 October 2026, this Regulation should therefore enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
(9)Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2104 should therefore be amended accordingly,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1#
Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2104 is amended as follows:
(1)the following Article 8a is inserted:‘Article 8aVarietyThe labelling of extra virgin olive oil made solely from either the Koroneiki or the Nocellara del Belice variety shall indicate that variety on the label, on the accompanying documents and any other labelling.’
(2)Annex I is replaced by the text set out in the Annex to this Regulation.
Article 2#
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Annex I · Characteristics of olive oil
A. Quality characteristics
| Category | Acidity(%) (*) | Peroxide value(mEq O2/kg) | K232 | K268 or K270 | ΔΚ | Organoleptic characteristics | Fatty acid ethyl esters(mg/kg) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median of defect (Md) (*)note | Fruity median (Mf)note | |||||||
| 1.Extra virgin olive oil | ≤ 0,80 | ≤ 20,0 | ≤ 2,50 | ≤ 0,22 | ≤ 0,01 | Md = 0,0 | Mf > 0,0 | ≤ 35 |
| 2.Virgin olive oil | ≤ 2,0 | ≤ 20,0 | ≤ 2,60 | ≤ 0,25 | ≤ 0,01 | Md ≤ 3,5 | Mf > 0,0 | — |
| 3.Lampante olive oil | > 2,0 | — | — | — | — | Md > 3,5note | — | — |
| 4.Refined olive oil | ≤ 0,30 | ≤ 5,0 | — | ≤ 1,25 | ≤ 0,16 | — | — | |
| 5.Olive oil composed of refined olive oil and virgin olive oils | ≤ 1,00 | ≤ 15,0 | — | ≤ 1,15 | ≤ 0,15 | — | — | |
| 6.Crude olive-pomace oil | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 7.Refined olive-pomace oil | ≤ 0,30 | ≤ 5,0 | — | ≤ 2,00 | ≤ 0,20 | — | — | |
| 8.Olive-pomace oil | ≤ 1,00 | ≤ 15,0 | — | ≤ 1,70 | ≤ 0,18 | — | — |
B. Purity characteristics
| Category | Fatty acid compositionnote | Total transoleic isomers(%) | Total trans- linoleic + trans-linolenic isomers(%) | Stigmasta- dienes(mg/kg)note | ΔΕCN42 | 2-glyceryl monopalmitate(%) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Myristic(%) | Linolenic(%) | Arachidic(%) | Eicosenoic(%) | Behenic(%) | Lignoceric(%) | ||||||
| 1.Extra virgin olive oil | ≤ 0,03 | ≤ 1,00note | ≤ 0,60 | ≤ 0,50 | ≤ 0,20 | ≤ 0,20 | ≤ 0,05 | ≤ 0,05 | ≤ 0,05 | ≤ |0,20| | ≤ 0,9 if total palmitic acid % ≤ 14,00 % |
| ≤ 1,0 if total palmitic acid % > 14,00 % | |||||||||||
| 2.Virgin olive oil | ≤ 0,03 | ≤ 1,00note | ≤ 0,60 | ≤ 0,50 | ≤ 0,20 | ≤ 0,20 | ≤ 0,05 | ≤ 0,05 | ≤ 0,05 | ≤ |0,20| | ≤ 0,9 if total palmitic acid % ≤ 14,00 % |
| ≤ 1,0 if total palmitic acid % > 14,00 % | |||||||||||
| 3.Lampante olive oil | ≤ 0,03 | ≤ 1,00 | ≤ 0,60 | ≤ 0,50 | ≤ 0,20 | ≤ 0,20 | ≤ 0,10 | ≤ 0,10 | ≤ 0,50 | ≤ |0,30| | ≤ 0,9 if total palmitic acid % ≤ 14,00 % |
| ≤ 1,1 if total palmitic acid % > 14,00 % | |||||||||||
| 4.Refined olive oil | ≤ 0,03 | ≤ 1,00 | ≤ 0,60 | ≤ 0,50 | ≤ 0,20 | ≤ 0,20 | ≤ 0,20 | ≤ 0,30 | — | ≤|0,30| | ≤ 0,9 if total palmitic acid % ≤ 14,00 % |
| ≤ 1,1 if total palmitic acid % > 14,00 % | |||||||||||
| 5.Olive oil composed of refined olive oil and virgin olive oils | ≤ 0,03 | ≤ 1,00 | ≤ 0,60 | ≤ 0,50 | ≤ 0,20 | ≤ 0,20 | ≤ 0,20 | ≤ 0,30 | — | ≤ |0,30| | ≤ 0,9 if total palmitic acid % ≤ 14,00 % |
| ≤ 1,0 if total palmitic acid % > 14,00 % | |||||||||||
| 6.Crude olive-pomace oil | ≤ 0,03 | ≤ 1,00 | ≤ 0,60 | ≤ 0,50 | ≤ 0,30 | ≤ 0,20 | ≤ 0,20 | ≤ 0,10 | — | ≤ |0,60| | ≤ 1,4 |
| 7.Refined olive-pomace oil | ≤ 0,03 | ≤ 1,00 | ≤ 0,60 | ≤ 0,50 | ≤ 0,30 | ≤ 0,20 | ≤ 0,40 | ≤ 0,35 | — | ≤ |0,50| | ≤ 1,4 |
| 8.Olive-pomace oil | ≤ 0,03 | ≤ 1,00 | ≤ 0,60 | ≤ 0,50 | ≤ 0,30 | ≤ 0,20 | ≤ 0,40 | ≤ 0,35 | — | ≤ |0,50| | ≤ 1,2 |
Table B continued
| Category | Sterols composition | Total sterols(mg/kg) | Erythrodiol and uvaol (%) (**) | Waxes (mg/kg) (**) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chole-sterol (%) | Brassica -sterol (%) | Campe-sterol (%) | Stigmasterol (%) | Apparent β–sito-sterolnote (%) | Δ-7-stigma-stenol (%) | ||||
| 1.Extra virgin olive oil | ≤ 0,5 | ≤ 0,1 | ≤ 4,0note | < Camp. | ≥ 93,0 | ≤ 0,5 note | ≥ 1000note | ≤ 4,5 | C42 + C44 + C46 ≤ 150 |
| 2.Virgin olive oil | ≤ 0,5 | ≤ 0,1 | ≤ 4,0note | < Camp. | ≥ 93,0 | ≤ 0,5 note | ≥ 1000 | ≤ 4,5 | C42 + C44 + C46 ≤ 150 |
| 3.Lampante olive oil | ≤ 0,5 | ≤ 0,1 | ≤ 4,0 | — | ≥ 93,0 | ≤ 0,5note | ≥ 1000 | ≤ 4,5note | C40 + C42 + C44 + C46 ≤ 300note |
| 4.Refined olive oil | ≤ 0,5 | ≤ 0,1 | ≤ 4,0 | < Camp. | ≥ 93,0 | ≤ 0,5note | ≥ 1000 | ≤ 4,5note | C40 + C42 + C44 + C46 ≤ 350 |
| 5.Olive oil composed of refined olive oil and virgin olive oils | ≤ 0,5 | ≤ 0,1 | ≤ 4,0 | < Camp. | ≥ 93,0 | ≤ 0,5note | ≥ 1000 | ≤ 4,5 | C40 + C42 + C44 + C46 ≤ 350 |
| 6.Crude olive-pomace oil | ≤ 0,5 | ≤ 0,2 | ≤ 4,0 | — | ≥ 93,0 | ≤ 0,5note | ≥ 2500 | > 4,5note | C40 + C42 + C44 + C46 > 350note |
| 7.Refined olive-pomace oil | ≤ 0,5 | ≤ 0,2 | ≤ 4,0 | < Camp. | ≥ 93,0 | ≤ 0,5note | ≥ 1800 | > 4,5 | C40 + C42 + C44 + C46 > 350 |
| 8.Olive-pomace oil | ≤ 0,5 | ≤ 0,2 | ≤ 4,0 | < Camp. | ≥ 93,0 | ≤ 0,5note | ≥ 1600 | > 4,5 | C40 + C42 + C44 + C46 > 350 |
Notes:
(a)The results of the analyses must be expressed to the same number of decimal places as used for each characteristic. The last digit must be increased by one unit if the following digit is greater than 4.
(b)If just a single characteristic does not match the values stated, the category of an oil shall be changed or the oil shall be declared non-compliant for the purposes of this Regulation.
(c)For lampante olive oil, both quality characteristics marked with an asterisk “(*)” may differ simultaneously from the limits established for that category.
(d)If a characteristic is marked with two asterisks “(**)”, this means that for crude olive-pomace oil, it is possible for both the relevant limits to be different from the stated values at the same time. For olive-pomace oil and refined olive-pomace oil, one of the relevant limits may be different from the stated values.
‘’
Source: EUR-Lex, © European Union, 1998-2026. Reuse authorised under Decision 2011/833/EU.