On Tuesday 9 July, the European Commission invited representatives of the EU Member States to participate in a High-Level Group on Wine Policy where the challenges and opportunities for the sector will be discussed.
The Group will hold its first meeting on 11 September. Stakeholder organisations will also be invited to the first meeting to present their assessment of the situation and outlook for the wine sector.
The European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, had announced the creation of the High Level Group at the EU ‘Agriculture’ Council meeting of 27 May.
Over the last two decades, the EU wine sector has done extremely well. The EU has become the world’s leading exporter, with exports tripling in value over this period.
Despite this success and its significant contribution to EU GDP, the sector is now facing significant challenges due to a long-term decline of domestic consumption, a shift in consumer preferences, and an unstable and less globalised international context, which is affecting the EU's main export markets. What's more, the sector is increasingly confronted with unpredictable production and harvesting conditions as a result of climate change.
The High Level Group on Wine Policy will provide a forum for exploring solutions to the challenges facing the sector. The Group will meet at least three times and is expected to present conclusions and recommendations for future policy developments by early 2025. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)