Today, the Council presidency and European Parliament’s negotiators reached a provisional agreement on the wine package, addressing challenges that wine producers face and unlocking market opportunities.
Farm Europe warmly welcomes the work of Commissioner Hansen alongside rapporteur Esther Herranz García, as well as the Danish Presidency on this crucial improvement for the EU wine sector, following the first and last trilogue.
This agreement represents a necessary and long-awaited positive response to the most pressing challenges faced by the European wine sector. It also addresses the related requests expressed by the High-Level Group on Wine.
The deal introduces clearer rules for de-alcoholised wines, in particular for the use of the terms “alcohol-free” and “alcohol reduced”. Wine producers will also benefit from greater flexibility in the face of natural disasters, plant disease, or pest pressures, with an additional year to plant or replant affected vines. EU funds may now be used for grubbing-up, and national payment ceilings for wine distillation and green harvesting are set at 25% of globally available funds per Member State.
The agreement also strengthens support for wine tourism and promotional initiatives. Producer organisations managing protected designations of origin (PDOs) and protected geographical indications (PGIs) will have additional support to promote wine tourism. Promotional campaigns targeting third countries will benefit from enhanced co-financing: up to 60% from the EU, with Member States able to provide additional support, and funding may extend up to nine years.
Farm Europe sees the agreement as a positive result of structured collaboration between EU institutions, producers, and industry stakeholders. The wine sector, a pillar of the European economy, requires coherent, long-term support spanning trade, promotion, climate adaptation, and digitalisation. This provisional deal demonstrates the effectiveness of bottom-up consultation, ensuring policies respond to producers’ practical needs while creating growth opportunities in domestic and international markets.
The provisional agreement must now be confirmed by the Council and the European Parliament before the legislative act is formally adopted by the co-legislators.
O artigo foi publicado originalmente em Farm Europe.
