Blends of olive oil 
Description of the provision and objective: 
According to Ministerial Decision 323902/2009, par. 5, the production of blends of edible oils that mix olive oil with other vegetable oils for consumption in the domestic market is prohibited in Greece. 
As already mentioned, no official recitals were made available and it can only be assumed that the purpose of this regulation is to promote and safeguard the quality of Greek olive oil. 
Harm to competition: 
European legislation does not prohibit the circulation of blends of olive oils with other vegetable oils. According to article 6, par. 1c of the European Regulation 29/2012: “Member States may prohibit the production in their territory of blends of olive oil and other vegetable oils referred to in the first subparagraph for internal consumption. 
However, they may not prohibit the marketing in their territory of such blends coming from other countries and they may not prohibit the production in their territory of such blends for marketing in another Member State or for exportation”. 
However, other Mediterranean countries (such as Spain) with a long-established olive oil tradition do not apply a similar restriction and hence are more competitive on the international market. It is our view, therefore, that this provision prevents Greek producers from competing in the domestic market against cheaper imported blended oils (for frying, for instance). In addition, such a restriction tends to limit the variety of products supplied, especially the lower-priced ones. By increasing quality standards disproportionately for only a range of suppliers, the provision limits consumer choice. Regulations that force the quality of daily consumables to unnecessarily high levels may disadvantage low-income consumers who may be willing to purchase a quality below the one allowed.45 Quality issues can be covered by the obligation for clear labelling in order to distinguish olive oil from blends or to indicate the presence of olive oil (and so enhance the reputation of the Greek product). EU legislation which was established exactly for this purpose, i.e. the guarantee of authenticity of olive oil, focuses on the clear labelling of the product rather than a horizontal prohibition of blends of olive oil, having taken into account the issue of the blending practices with respect to the quality of the product. Greece has the highest per capita consumption of olive oil in the EU (2011/12 data), with 17.9 kilos, followed by Spain with 12.6 kilos, Italy 10.9 kilos, Cyprus 7.5 kilos and Portugal 7.4 kilos.46 However, total olive oil consumption decreased from 227 500 tonnes in 2010/11 to 208 000 tonnes in 2012/13.47 
This decrease may be a result of the economic crisis and the gap between olive oil which is of a high quality and usually expensive48 and a cheaper product. This means that a blend of a high percentage of olive oil and oil that is cheaper than virgin olive oil, would be most likely consumed by Greek consumers, enhancing both the variety of products available and consumer choice. However, as a major player in the olive oil sector Greece could take advantage of European Regulation 29/2012, article 6, par. 1a, which explicitly provides a method for placing a blend of olive oil on the market
Recommendation and benefits 
Further to the abovementioned analysis, the prohibition of olive oil blends should be abolished. The benefit from this amendment would be an enhanced variety of products and possibly cheaper products for consumers.

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