Brussels, 01/06/2010 (Agence Europe) - Meeting for their plenary session on the 27-29 May in Porec (Istria - Croatia), the Assembly of Wine-Producing Regions (AREV) re-elected Jean-Paul Bachy to head the organisation for a further two years. The latter is the president of the Regional Champagne-Ardennes Council. AREV also adopted a critical resolution on implementation of wine sector reform.
AREV highlighted the difficult situation experienced in wine producing markets in the majority of European regions, despite significant grubbing up and promotional measures taken since 2008. AREV considers that the major reform objectives (increasing the competitiveness of European producers, recuperating market share in the world market, re-establishing balance between supply and demand) are in danger of not being attained. According to the resolution made by the organisation, fears were expressed with regard to deregulation not helping to stimulate growth but on the contrary, producing harmful socio-economic effects, particularly for small and medium-sized concerns in this sector.
In this context, AREV is demanding “reform of the reform” in the wine producing sector decided upon in 2008 and calls for: maintaining the general framework for plantation rights (plantation rights were planned to be abolished before the end of 2015 but these could be maintained at a national level until 2018, according to provisions in the reform); maintaining and strengthening the wine producing register; - maintaining labelling rules for differentiating PDOs (Protected Designations of Origin) and GPI (Geographical Protected Indications) for other wines; - maintaining the wine producing sector's own financial mechanism in the first pillar of the common agricultural policy (direct aid and market measures); - freedom for member states to orientate EU aid towards the promotion of wine outside and inside the EU or towards vineyard support “with a specific character” (such as high hillside vineyards).
AREV also reiterates its “urgent” demand to create a “European wine-producing observatory, which might provide the means to know exactly what the situation is in the different regions and different member states”.
AREV was set up in June 1998 and brings together 70 regions from 16 countries in Europe. It is a real “wine producing parliament”, according to AREV, which says that it aims to defend the specificities of the wine producing regions. (L.C./transl.fl)