Brussels, 16/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - In a press release published on Friday 13 October, the “Comité européen des enterprises vins” (CEEV) “welcomes the announcement by the European Commission of a new EU trade strategy in the service of competitiveness and economic reforms”. The CEEV, which represents the wine industry and trade for wines and other wine products, shares the analysis made by Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson. It considers that the multilateral trading talks system (at the WTO), which is currently in deadlock, must be completed by specific bilateral agreements especially with the ASEAN countries, South Korea, India and Russia.
These future bilateral trade agreements must not only “allow the removal of all obstacles restricting the growth of our trade on these markets, such as tariff barriers, but also and above all the numerous technical barriers and the absence of convergent and transparent rules, coupled with effective implementation of the protection of intellectual property rights (trade marks and geographical indications)”, CEEV writes. It hopes that the opening up of third country markets will be preceded by a “genuinely ambitious external trade policy for the wine sector”, based on five areas: knowledge of international markets, the promotion of European wines on third-country markets, the securement of trade, the structuring of operators so that they acquire a sufficient size in the face of their New World competitors, and, finally, concerted action with the trade organisations representing external trade operators.
Lamberto Vallarino Gancia, CEEV President, welcomes the fact that CEEV can “work alongside the European Commission” by “allowing a greater opening-up of international markets in order to ensure that he sector has real growth prospects”. According to the CEEV, European wine exports in 2005 totalled €4.5 billion, contributing a net surplus of €2 billion towards the Community's trade balance. (lc)