Brussels, 13/09/2007 (Agence Europe) - The promotion of quality European wines should be more important than grubbing vineyards or liberalising the sector, was the view expressed on Wednesday 12 September in Brussels by the representatives of the wine sector of several member states at a public hearing organised by the European Parliament's committee on agriculture. These experts were highly critical of reforms proposed for the sector, presented on 4 July by the European Commission.
“In the aim of quality, we must develop quality, have a quality policy and reconquer markets”, said Riccardo Ricci Curbastro of Italy, President of the National Confederation for Voluntary Consortia for the Oversight of the Denominations of Origin (FEDERDOC). He was above all opposed to the Commission's idea that the harvest year and wine variety should be indicated on table wine labels. “The solution to the problems does not lie in the abolition of traditional practice or in grubbing”, said Peter Botos, from the Fédération internationale des vins et spirtueux (FIVS), who considers it is above all necessary to recover lost markets. Pedro Barato, who is president of the association of young Spanish farmers (ASAJA), suggested introducing support for wine-growers in the form of direct aid to income rather than aid per hectare as suggested by the Commission.
Unlike other speakers, Lord Sewel, the author of a report on wine to the British House of Lords, said he was in favour of transferring funds from the CAP's first pillar (direct and market aid) to the second pillar (rural development) at the end of market measures. Constant Infalt, Director of the Les Domaines de Vins Moselle cooperative, reproached the Commission for not abiding by the “1999 historic agreement” between northern and southern countries on the addition of sugar to wine (chaptalisation - that the Commission intends to ban). “Adding sugar has never been a problem and it should not become one now”, he added, backed by Astrid Lulling (EPP-ED, Luxembourg), Christa Klass (EPP-ED, Germany) and Csaba Sandor Tabajdi (PES, Hungary). (lc)