Brussels, 3rd of October 2012. At the 2012 COPA COGECA Congress, which was held in Budapest (Hungary), Commissioner Ciolos made a new declaration on the issue of planting rights. A further step has been taken as the Commission now talks of regulation for all categories of wines including wines without a geographical indication (e.g. table wines). This is an improvement compared to the last meeting of the High Level Group (HLG) on planting rights during which the Commission advocated for the liberalisation of planting rights for wines without a GI. EFOW welcomes this step forward and hopes it will result in a concrete proposal. EFOW recalls that there can be no regulation without a European framework. .
EFOW, the European federation of origin wines, welcomes the remarks made by Commissioner Ciolos regarding the management of planting rights for all categories of wine (PDO/PGI/wines without a GI). “The concerns that had arisen after the last working session in Palermo on September 21st at the last HLG are beginning to fade” declared EFOW’s President, Mr. Riccardo Ricci Curbastro. EFOW approves the main points defended by Commissioner Ciolos, more specifically the management of plantations for all types of wines and a national management. However, EFOW considers that the regulation can not rely on a single “European safety net”. In fact, the growth of the sector depends on the existence of a European framework for plantations. “The implementation of a safety net in case of excessive plantations would be ineffective since the intervention would come too late. We need an upstream management system given that vine is a perennial plant that produces wine for decades” stated Mr. Ricci Curbastro. Only a European framework (and not just a national one) in accordance with market needs will maintain a balance between supply and demand and will avoid an oversupply with all the consequences that this entails (reminder: the EU has recently spent more than a billion euro for the grubbing-up of vineyards).
EFOW now expects the Commissioner’s statements to be translated into concrete proposals. It recalls that wine producing Member States have put on the table a proposal and that it has the advantage of balancing control and plantation development in accordance with the market needs. “We hope that the proposal put forth by wine producing Member States is better taken into account. We will be very attentive to the final proposal which will be presented at the last meeting of the HLG on 23 November in Brussels. Until then, we will focus on supporting regional elected representatives on 7 November in Brussels”.