EU wine policy package

Key points

The EESC:

• underlines the socio-economic importance of the wine sector for the European Union, which generates a total of 2.9 million jobs, exhibiting exceptional productivity. Additionally, wine farms are 15% more profitable than the average farm in the EU, offering a viable economic alternative for people living in rural areas while representing a cultural tradition deeply rooted in the societal landscape;

• requests that the European Commission defend the wine culture by effectively supporting the implementation of programmes that help boost consumer awareness about informed and responsible consumption of wine;

• requests that policy support be coupled with an ambitious budget for interventions in the sector;

• underlines the importance of developing education programmes, as well as R&D projects, to support wine companies and workers in the sector’s ongoing transition;

• while agreeing that future planting strategies should help adapt production potential to market demand, considers that the list of limitations detailed in the European Commission’s proposal is too restrictive and may not fit all situations;

• welcomes the Commission’s proposal to extend the validity of authorisations granted for replantings, but recommends limiting their validity to 6 years, and welcomes the authorisation of national payments for voluntary green harvesting and voluntary grubbing up of productive vineyards;

• does not support the expression ‘produced by de-alcoholisation’ being made mandatory in the presentation of de-alcoholised and partially de-alcoholised wines;

• recommends abolishing the mandatory indication of the list of ingredients and the nutrition declaration when EU wines are exported outside the EU;

• suggests including voluntary grubbing up in the measures covered by these limitations and •    proposes that beneficiaries of crisis distillation payments not be eligible under any other wine support for a period of 3 years;

• welcomes the European Commission’s proposal to promote wine tourism;

• welcomes the potential increase to up to 80% of EU financial assistance for investment costs linked to climate change mitigation and adaptation;

• proposes that in case of exceptional circumstances in export markets or in case of crisis affecting third country markets representing more than 15% of EU wines exports, the Union financial assistance for promotion and communication interventions could be increased to up to 80% of eligible expenditure.