European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture is examining a series of compromise amendments on the key elements of proposed measures for the wine sector.
These amendments, negotiated by rapporteur Esther Herranz García (EPP, Spanish) with the other political groups, will be discussed at a Thursday 4 September technical meeting, before a vote in the Parliament committee scheduled for 5 November (see EUROPE 13699/7).
These discussions will focus on the authorisation of new plantings and the specific rules for replanting.
Planting and replanting. The amendments, seen by Agence Europe, strengthen the rules governing authorisations for planting and replanting vines. The aim is to simplify administrative procedures while limiting abuse.
Authorisations for new plantings would be valid for three years, while those for replantings would be valid for eight years from the end of the wine-growing year. An exemption is provided for authorisations issued before 1 January 2025: producers who do not use these rights will not be penalised if they inform the authorities before 31 December 2026.
In cases of force majeure or exceptional circumstances, the validity of authorisations could be extended by 12 months. Furthermore, replanting could benefit from an automatic procedure, without a formal request from the producer, once the vines have been grubbed up. However, producers who do not use their authorisations within the time limits would remain subject to administrative penalties, unless they can provide objective justification.
Member States may limit new plantings (safeguard measures) to prevent the risk of protected designations being overproduced or devalued. Each year, they would have to make available authorisations equivalent to 1% of the existing wine-growing area (measured at 31 July of the previous year). This percentage could be reduced, even to 0% for certain areas (PDO, PGI or wines without geographical indication). Restrictions should be justified by a proven risk of overproduction, a threat of devaluation to designations or the preservation of quality. Additional rules could be adopted to prevent circumvention.
The allocation of licences should be based on objective and non-discriminatory criteria, with particular attention paid to new producers, sustainable projects (environment, land consolidation, areas with natural constraints) and small and medium-sized farms.
Member States should ensure that: farmers who have grubbed up vines in the previous year are not allowed to apply for authorisation to plant new vines in the same production zone for a period of five years; and growers who have implemented crisis distillation or green harvesting measures are not allowed to submit applications for authorisation of new plantings in the same production zone for a period of three consecutive years.
Professional organisations. Recommendations made by recognised professional organisations (producer groups, interprofessional organisations) could be taken into account by Member States provided they are consensual and limited to three years.
Lastly, certain categories would remain exempt from the general rules: experimental plantations, collections of grape varieties intended to preserve genetic diversity, small areas for self-consumption or plantations resulting from expropriations in the public interest. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)