Amending certain agricultural products Regulations as regards certain market rules and sectoral support measures in the wine sector and for aromatised wine products

The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development adopted the report by Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA (EPP, ES) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013, (EU) 2021/2115 and (EU) No 251/2014 as regards certain market rules and sectoral support measures in the wine sector and for aromatised wine products.

The committee responsible recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the proposal as follows:

Compulsory particulars

Labelling and presentation of the products marketed in the Union or for export should contain the following compulsory particulars: (i) the designation for the category of the grapevine product; (ii) the term ‘reduced alcohol’ if the actual alcoholic strength of the product is equal to or above 0.5% by volume and is at least 30% below the minimum alcoholic strength of the category before de-alcoholisation.

The requirement that compulsory particulars be indicated in the same field of vision should only apply once on any given packaging. When providing the nutrition declaration and the list of ingredients, the electronic means used should be identified without words and appear in close proximity of the energy value.

Abandoned Vineyards

To prevent the spread of pests and diseases and to protect public health and safety, Member States should be allowed to require the destruction of vines in abandoned vineyards.

Vine planting authorisation scheme

The scheme of authorisations for vine plantings should apply from 1 January 2016, with reviews to be undertaken by the Commission in 2028 and every ten years to evaluate the operation of the scheme and, if appropriate, make proposals.

In the cases of force majeure and exceptional circumstances, winegrowers may extend the validity of the authorisations granted by up to twelve months after the initial expiration date.

By way of derogation from the standard procedure, the simplified procedure for granting replanting authorisations could apply. The replanting authorisation would be granted automatically by the competent authority following grubbing-up, without the producer needing to make a formal request.

Replanting

Member States may set criteria for the allocation and management of planting authorisations in order to avoid increasing vineyard areas and therefore wine production in regions and for market segments prone to oversupply, and in order to prioritise wines that have market opportunities, in accordance with their national sectorial strategies and the crisis measures authorised for those areas. In areas eligible for the production of wines with protected designations of origin or protected geographical indications, Member States may prohibit the replanting of vines intended for the production of wines without a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication.

National payments to support wine distillation in times of crisis

Those receiving funds allocated to voluntary crisis measures will not be eligible for aid for green harvesting, distillation or uprooting measures implemented on the same hectares.

Promotional and communication operations

These operations may be extended every five years if deemed necessary for market consolidation. To take into account the specific characteristics of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, the Commission may adopt delegated acts establishing a simplified regime for small producers.

When preparing their Strategic Plans, Member States may consider that the term ‘third country market’ refers to distinct markets within the same third country, enabling allowing for a distinction between different regions, consumer segments or types of distribution channels within the same third country.

Moreover, to address the decline in consumption and the market instability the Union is currently facing, the Commission should encourage the Member States to invest in the development of wine tourism.

Comprehensive strategy

Members proposed that the Commission should establish a comprehensive strategy aimed at revitalising the Union’s wine production sector and strengthening its competitiveness. The strategy should, in particular, pursue the objective of expanding the Union’s presence in new export markets, with a focus on emerging countries. The strategy should place particular emphasis on the quality, tradition and excellence of Union wines.’

Union financial assistance to the wine sector

The EU financial assistance:

- for restructuring and conversion of vineyards may cover up to 80 % of the actual costs of restructuring and conversion of vineyards linked to the objective of contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation;

- for green harvesting and distillation should not exceed 50 % of the sum of the direct costs of the destruction or removal of grape bunches and the loss of revenue related to such destruction or removal;

- for permanent grubbing up may cover up to 100% of the eligible costs. Beneficiaries of Union financial assistance for permanent grubbing up should not be eligible to benefit from the intervention restructuring and conversion of vineyards for a period of five years;

- for information actions and promotion should not exceed 80 % of eligible expenditure;

- for actions to prevent the spread of flavescence dorée and other highly contagious plant diseases may cover up to 100 % of the eligible costs.

Budgetary flexibility for sectoral interventions

By way of derogation, unused budgetary allocations for sectoral interventions in the wine sector in a given financial year may be carried over to the following financial year provided that they are used exclusively for the voluntary measures in the same sector.