Brussels, 20/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - At the invitation of the minister-president of the Rhineland Palatinate, Kurt Beck, and his minister for the winegrowing and viticulture economy, Hendrik Hering, the second Mayence viticulture summit was held on 16 September. Many political representatives and European wine growing regional professionals attended the summit (from Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic, Rome and Austria), which included most of the active members of the AREV (The Assembly of European Wine-producing Regions), MEPs, academics and professionals from sector.
During the debates, which mainly focused on implementation of wine sector reform and its impact in the short and medium term on people, companies and the regions, participants were unanimous in their belief that although some measures were to be welcomed, such as the setting up of national financial envelopes (which allow for greater subsidiarity in the management of the different branches) and the promotion of the external market, an AREV press release explained that “the conditions of the different enterprises working in this sector have not improved”. Despite extensive grubbing-up measures, “market balance is still lacking and the most controversial point in the reform, the total liberalisation of planting rights from 2015, will only make matters worse”.
Moreover, certain sources claim that the European Commission was intending to reduce the viticulture sector's budget by around €200 million, which raised a cry of indignation amongst sector professionals. The latter have called for the planting rights system to be maintained. “The quintessentially regional aim and dimension of viticulture inevitably requires wine-growing regions to take action to radically change the reform imposed by the former commissioner for agriculture, Mariann Fischer Boel, which failed to take into account the views of the regions and bring it more into line with the interim report 2012” (L.C./transl.fl)