Brussels – The Union seeks to meet the needs of European winegrowers with new labelling rules and funds for wine tourism. The decisions arrived today, 4 December, after a trialogue between the European co-legislators (Council, Parliament, Commission), seek to counter the crisis in the sector with targeted aid. However, the proposals will not be effective immediately, as they will have to await approval by the Council and Parliament in the coming months.
The industry crisis
The new rules have a clear objective of making “the sector competitive and ready for the future.” In recent times, in fact, winegrowers have had to face several challenges, such as worsening extreme weather events due to climate change, declining consumption amid disaffection for alcoholic products, and economic instability due to export tariffs.
These issues have been taken seriously by the EU, which does not want to alienate this group of farmers too. The rift with the agri-food sector is already open after the announcement of cuts to the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy). The mobilisation of tractors in Brussels on 18 December, coinciding with the European Council, is now certain.
Alcohol-free wines
The main success of the negotiations is the new wine labelling rules. The new consumer trend of drinking less and healthier is also affecting the wine world. The Union intends to introduce clear rules on the classification of alcohol-free wines: the term non-alcoholic 0.0 per cent will be permitted only on bottles with an alcohol content below 0.05 per cent.
Products with an alcohol content of 0.5 per cent or more but at least 30 per cent lower than the alcohol content of the wine category should be labelled as “reduced alcohol content“ or “light”. A clearer classification would help producers to move more consciously in the market.
Support to cope with climate crises
To counter the damage caused by natural disasters, the EU is granting vine growers one extra year to plant or replant affected vines. The additional period gives growers more time to reform their vineyards without losing European subsidies. It will then also be possible to use European funds earmarked for the wine sector to replant diseased or surplus vines, a derogation from the past, when this procedure was very limited and received little financial incentive.
The new way is wine tourism
The new frontier, however, is that of enotourism. With the aim of diversifying farmers’ revenue streams, the Union has prepared a plan to support wine tourism. Producer organisations that manage initiatives related to PDO and PGI products will receive additional support to promote their products abroad.
Figures to support the promotion of wine tourism tours emerged from the trialogue: the EU will support up to 60 per cent of the costs of advertising, events, exhibitions, and studies. Member States can almost complete the work by adding up to 30 per cent for small and medium-sized companies and 20 per cent for larger companies. In essence, it will be almost free for manufacturers to implement these initiatives, thereby adding a new item to their revenue stream.
Between politics and economics
“We are providing the sector with tools to tackle the deep crisis it is going through,” commented the rapporteur of the law that will pass in Parliament, Esther Herranz García (EPP, Spain). The aim is to secure an industry worth €130 billion to the EU’s GDP.
Politically, the relevance of the battle lies in where wine production is located: France, Spain, and Italy, heavyweights of the European economy and therefore capable of directing EU aid. For the EU Commission, the need is to bring at least some farmers over to its side, given the current widespread rejection of the new CAP.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
