IN BREVE
- The new Wine Package aims to strengthen the competitiveness of European wine businesses and address economic and environmental challenges.
- CEEV welcomes the agreement, emphasizing the importance of promotion and support for wine tourism for local development.
- The agreement introduces flexibility in planting authorizations, but raises concerns about the removal of the 2045 deadline.
- New EU co-financing measures up to 80% for sustainable investments and a new promotion scheme increase opportunities for European wines.
- CEEV opposes the use of EU funds for vine grubbing and fears an uncertain approach to partially dealcoholized wines.
The European wine sector takes a step forward with the political agreement reached by the European Parliament and Council on the new Wine Package, a Commission proposal aimed at strengthening the competitiveness of wine businesses and providing more modern tools to address economic, environmental and geopolitical challenges. The CEEV, Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins, welcomes the agreement, calling it a balanced package capable of responding—at least in part—to the needs expressed in recent years by operators.
“This agreement—states Marzia Varvaglione, CEEV president—demonstrates that policymakers have listened to our concerns and we thank them for the swift work carried out. It is a good legislative package: measures on promotion, investments and wine tourism respond in particular to the long-term requests of operators, oriented toward market tools. However, we must be aware that EU law cannot solve all the challenges we face.”
IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS ON AUTHORIZATIONS, PROMOTION AND INVESTMENTS
The agreement introduces greater flexibility in the management of planting authorizations, an element considered strategic to enable businesses to plan more effectively. However, concern remains about the removal of the 2045 deadline, which CEEV considers a weakening of the system’s long-term visibility.
On the climate transition front, Member States will be able to raise EU co-financing to 80% for investments related to mitigation and adaptation. A measure the sector considers essential to accelerate the adoption of more resilient and sustainable production practices. Significant developments also for promotion: the new 3+3+3 year scheme, accompanied by greater funding possibilities, aims to strengthen the international competitiveness of European wines.
SUPPORT FOR WINE TOURISM AND EU SYMBOL FOR QR CODES ON LABELS
CEEV welcomes the explicit recognition of wine tourism as an activity to be supported, considering it a decisive lever for local economic development and a direct bridge to consumers.
On the labeling front, the Commission commits to creating a harmonized EU symbol indicating the QR code: an element long awaited by businesses, useful for ensuring regulatory certainty. Progress also on the regulatory framework concerning aromatized wine products, now aligned with the wine framework. The goal is to facilitate the use of new “no and low alcohol” types.
THE SECTOR’S CONCERNS: GRUBBING AND PARTIALLY DEALCOHOLIZED WINES
Alongside the positive aspects, CEEV reiterates its opposition to the use of EU funds for vine grubbing, albeit limited. Concern also about the approach adopted on partially dealcoholized wines, where the sector fears the creation of a regulatory grey area above 6% vol., with potential repercussions on market coherence.
“The term ‘reduced alcohol wine’ will be used for the presentation of partially dealcoholized wines, not our preferred term. But, on the other hand, the harmonization of the use of the term ‘0.0%’ is very welcome,” comments Ignacio Sánchez Recarte, CEEV secretary general, who invites co-legislators to proceed quickly toward formal adoption of the package.
