The measures proposed by the European Commission to support the wine sector were generally welcomed by the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee on Tuesday 8 April, with the exception of grubbing-up (removing unwanted or excess vines).
The proposal is “good news”, according to Herbert Dorfmann (EPP, Italian, who nevertheless opposed the planned grubbing-up measures. “Financing grubbing-up and authorising new planting is not coherent”, according to the MEP (see EUROPE 13610/1).
Gilles Pennelle (PfE, French) is not in favour of grubbing-up either, especially in regions where only vines maintain the landscape.
The European Commission representative described the grubbing-up provisions as “ very cautious” compared to the recommendations of the High Level Group on Wine Policy. “This can be useful in a crisis. Caution must be exercised in regions, such as steep slopes, which depend exclusively on wine-growing”, said the Commission. This is why the Commission has authorised grubbing-up subject to conditions and using only the national envelopes of EU countries.
Internal Market. Stefano Bonaccini (S&D, Italian) said he was “very pleased” with the proposal. He also called for a political solution to be found to the different labelling rules according to the country, which could undermine the functioning of the Single Market. He referred to labelling in Ireland, which considers drinking wine to be as dangerous as smoking cigarettes.
Gilles Pennelle also called for an end to the criminalisation of wine consumption. Producer organisations should be strengthened, but without excluding winegrowers who wish to remain independent, he said.
Benoît Cassart (Renew Europe, Belgian), who welcomed the “concrete and pragmatic” measures, called for independent winegrowers to be protected too.
Martin Häusling (Greens/EFA, German) suggested helping producers adapt to climate change and changing the way they produce (reducing the use of pesticides).
A number of MEPs have called for attention to be paid to the names of non-alcoholic wines. The Commission pointed out that these wines are still a niche product, but that the market for them is growing. Consumers demand such wines, the Commission stressed. These wines are linked to grape production and are of good quality, concluded the Commission representative. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)