Brussels, 05/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - In a press release published on Wednesday 3 February, the European Federation of Origin Wines (EFOW) criticises the several draft delegated and implementing acts presented by the European Commission, which, while intended to simplify wine legislation, are, the EFOW says a “hidden reform of the sector” and seek to undermine the delicate balances of the 2008 and 2013 reforms.
The Commission's draft texts “dismantle” the 2009 basic regulation on protected designations of origin, protected geographical indications, traditional terms and labelling “by scattering some of these provisions in several texts” and “omit” a number of rules that apply to the sector, especially for origin wines, EFOW states, adding that other draft texts should follow in the coming months.
“How can the substitution of a single text by many, moreover with separate discussions, simplify things?” asks EFOW President Bernard Farges. “We no longer find in the texts some essential elements such as the ban on wines without a GI to indicate a smaller geographical origin than the member state”, he says, going on to state: “Furthermore, we note that there is a whole series of in depth changes to the current legislation which regards for instance traditional terms, wine grape varieties, bottle shapes and many other topics”. EFOW calls on the Council and the European Parliament to ask the European Commission to review its working methods and to respect the balance of 2008 and 2013 reforms. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)