The European Federation of Origin Wines (EFOW) says in a press release published on Wednesday 11 January that it will defend the specificity of the wine sector in a number of areas including simplification of legislation and the common agricultural policy (CAP) after 2020 and upcoming trade agreements.
Commission proposals on simplifying wine legislation worries origin wine producers: the abolition of the temporary labelling measure is something the EFOW would like to see removed (see EUROPE 11691). The Commission would like to get rid of provisions that allow, before definitive validation by the Commission, temporary denomination labelling in the event of a change in specifications. “Producers need to regularly modify their PDO/PGI specifications to adapt to new circumstances, technological advances, etc. Challenging this provision means lengthening the validation deadline”, says EFOW President Bernard Farges.
Post-2020 CAP. Negotiations on the CAP after 2020 form another important issue. “Brexit and the upcoming elections in France and Germany raise a lot of uncertainty, notably on the budget level allocated to the future CAP”, says the organisation. The sector’s main concern is the level of national support (to finance investment or restructuring projects). The Commission recently confirmed its willingness to extend these measures until 2023. Producers of origin wines also want to maintain the system of vine planting authorisations.
Trade agreements. EFOW is working, too, for the recognition of geographical indications (GIs) to be a priority of all trade agreements negotiated by the European Commission. In the agreement with Canada (CETA), European wine GIs are now fully protected in Canada and customs duties for the export of EU wines have been abolished.
EFOW supports the conclusion of an agreement with the United States (TTIP) “if all wine GIs are protected”. Currently, 17 European names are considered “semi-generic” in the USA and can be used by American vintners with a local geographical name: Burgundy, Chablis, Champagne, Chianti, Claret, Haut Sauterne, Hock, Madeira, Malaga, Marsala, Moselle, Port, Retsina, Rhine, Sauterne, Sherry and Tokay. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)