Brussels, 09/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 9 April, the European Commission published new rules on the vine planting authorisation regime. The aim, according to the Commission, is to give the wine-making sector of the EU greater flexibility to respond to growing world demand.
The Commission has published the two regulations (a delegated regulation and an implementing regulation) in the Official Journal of the EU, implementing, from 1 January 2016 until 31 December 2030, the vine planting authorisation scheme provided for by the reform of the common agriculture policy (CAP) of 2013. This replaces the planting rights regime and will be subject to a mid-term review.
“The new system provides flexibility for the European wine sector to gradually expand production, in response to growing world demand”, the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Phil Hogan, commented in a press release. “At the same stage, member states have a range of safeguards to apply in order to address possible social and environmental risks in specific wine production areas”, he added.
Maximum annual growth of surface area of 1%
The new regime lays down the maximum annual growth of planted surface area at 1% over the period 2016-2030. The member states will have the option to bring in a lower safeguard threshold at national or regional level or in areas which may or may not benefit from a protected denomination. In such cases, their decision will have to be justified, under the delegated regulation, by the “need to avoid a duly proven risk of considerable depreciation for a given protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication”. It is the producers of such wines (Champagne, Rioja, etc) who have been the harshest critics of the new regime.
The delegated regulation details the eligibility criteria, within the limit laid down, for planting and replanting applications, with a few derogations (experimentation, products destined solely for the family consumption of the grower, etc). It also makes provision for the application of sanctions in the event of areas planted with vines without authorisation. The implementing regulation states that requests to convert current planting rights into authorisations can be submitted by the producers from 15 September 2015. The authorisations cannot be redeemed for cash.
Following the abolition of milk quotas on 31 March of this year and the planned removal of sugar quotas on 30 September 2017, wine will be the only agricultural sector still subject to a safeguards system in the EU, a Community source stressed. (Lionel Changeur)