Over 100 European policy makers, members of the EU Container Glass Federation (FEVE), consumers & other stakeholders attended 9 Feb/2011, the first ever water-tasting event in the European Parliament. The event, entitled "Discover the Natural Mineral Waters of Europe" was hosted by Rovana Plumb, Filip Kaczmarek & Theodoros Skylakakis, Members of the European Parliament. Andreas Larsson, Best Sommelier of the World 2007, invited the guests to experience the diversity & differences in taste of the mineral waters. MEPs Dr Filip Kaczmarek & Dr Theodoros Skylakakis from the Group of the EU People's Party (EPP) in the EU Parliament."Water stands for diversity & a unique EU heritage that we should preserve. Not only is this natural product fundamental to our health & our life but also to our economy, our social & environmental standards." For MEP Dr Theodoros Skylakakis the event was not only a celebration of the mineral waters but also of the glass containers in which they have been packaged for many centuries. "These two traditional products make a great combination. Glass is a resource efficient & sustainable material, but is also safe from a health perspective. This makes it the packaging material for the future, since it also has innovation potential." Andreas Larsson, named the world's best sommelier in 2007 by the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI), agreed with the MEPs that glass bottles & mineral waters are a match made in heaven. "Only glass protects the purity & delicacy of mineral waters. Water is so clean that every other packaging would affect the taste of it." Guests at the event who thought water is just water, were quickly convinced of the contrary by the sommelier.
