EU Parliament gives final green light to “Wine Package”, more funds and support for sector

Brussels – Good news from Strasbourg for European wine producers. With a large majority—625 votes in favour, 15 against and 11 abstentions—the European Parliament has definitively approved a series of measures designed to support the wine sector in the face of current challenges and help it seize new market opportunities. The measures include clearer labelling for non-alcoholic wines, more funding and flexibility for producers, and stronger promotional activities. “Europe is responding concretely to the challenges facing the sector in different countries and regions,” said the rapporteur for the text,
Esther Herranz García

(EPP, Spain). 

“The agreement provides Italian producers with useful tools to tackle the decline in consumption and the growing pressure from international markets,” explains Salvatore De Meo, MEP for Forza Italia and member of the Agriculture Committee, on the sidelines of the vote. Camilla Laureti, MEP for the Democratic Party and national head of agricultural policy, agrees. “Wine is the third largest agri-food sector in terms of exports, with an average production of 157 million hectolitres, making the EU the world’s leading producer and providing employment for 2.9 million people,” she says. “The package of measures is a step in the right direction: greater certainty on authorisations, stronger tools to deal with crises, and simpler and clearer labelling rules, benefiting both producers and consumers,” the MEP emphasises. For Green MEP Cristina Guarda, member of the Agriculture Committee and shadow rapporteur for the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament, the text “stems from an awareness of a deep crisis in the wine sector, marked by overproduction, declining consumption and the increasingly evident effects of climate change” and “the Greens/EFA group has supported an agreement that strengthens crisis management tools, also allowing new planting rights to be suspended in cases of serious market imbalance, and which attempts to open up prospects for the future of the sector.” 

The new measures aim to expand the market for European wines in third countries, providing funding for producers of up to 60 per cent of the costs incurred. Member States will also be able to supplement this support with additional coverage of up to 30 per cent for small and medium-sized enterprises and up to 20 per cent for larger companies. 

The new rules also provide additional financial support for promoting wine tourism. Activities will be eligible for funding for three years, renewable up to two times, for a maximum total duration of nine years. Eligible initiatives also include information and promotional activities, such as advertising campaigns, events, exhibitions, and sector studies. 

Additional funding is also available for natural disasters and extreme weather conditions: the measures approved by the European Parliament stipulate that winegrowers will receive additional financial support of up to 80% of eligible costs. The text also states that EU funds may be used for so-called “grubbing-up”, i.e., the permanent removal of vines to stabilise production. The limit for national support for wine distillation and green harvesting is set at 25% of the wine sector for each Member State.

 Finally, the adopted text calls for greater clarity in labelling. The term “non-alcoholic”, accompanied by the indication “0.0 per cent”, may only be used for products with an alcohol content not exceeding 0.05 per cent vol. Wines with an alcohol content above this threshold, but reduced by at least 30 per cent compared to the standard alcohol content of the category before dealcoholisation, must instead bear the words “reduced alcohol content” on the label.

The ball is now in the court of the Council of the European Union, which will have to formally adopt the legislation before it is published in the Official Journal of the EU and subsequently enters into force. An agreement with the Council was reached at the beginning of December.