Brussels, 24/06/2005 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission could present the Agriculture Council of 18 and 19 July with a draft agreement between the EU and the USA on the marketing of wines. This package, which covers wine-making practices and American wine import procedures, leaves aside the major subjects which divide the two partners, that is the protection of European geographical indications on US territory and labelling rules for wines. The European agriculture ministers should accept the text, given the economic interests at stake.
The draft agreement envisages recognising once and for all a list of wine-making practices used by American producers who sell their wines in the EU. Since 1983, when the negotiations started between the EU and the USA on wine, the parties agree each year to extend a list of American wine-making practices. In exchange for EU acceptance of this list, the USA agrees to exempt Community wines marketed on their territory from the increased certification procedure imposed by the USA on imported wines. This certification procedure is part of the increase of import controls by the US authorities: a law on bio-terrorism (“BTA”) and the “Miscellaneous Trade Bill” adopted in December 2004. The USA also agrees to protect certain semi-generic European wines, whereas the EU gives American producers who sell in Europe the possibility to use certain traditional mentions used for European wines (“sur lie”, “clos” etc).
“France is keen to see a balance maintained between the different elements of the agreement. Taking account of out interests in terms of exporting to the US market, the goal is to obtain a satisfactory result on the protection of European geographical indications, wine-making practices and the use of traditional mentions”, said the French Ministry of Agriculture in a press release.