Risk for EU funding for the promotion of wine in third countries

Subject: Risk for EU funding for the promotion of wine in third countries

The World Health Organisation and the Commission, through documents entitled ‘Global strategy on alcoholics’ and ‘European beating cancer plan’, have made a commitment to draw a clear distinction between alcohol abuse and moderate alcohol consumption.

To date, however, this distinction has not been applied in the two documents and alcohol consumption is becoming synonymous with abuse and ‘always harmful’ to human health.

Unless fundamental changes are made to the documents, the demonisation of the entire wine sector would be exacerbated. The dichotomy in relation to EU policies which can be summed up as the ‘European way of life’ would also be increased, since wine, for many countries, including Italy, is synonymous with a Mediterranean diet, culture and history, all of which have been handed down for more than 2 000 years.

Furthermore, the WHO strategy recommends a 20% reduction in global alcohol consumption by 2030 and suggests that this should be achieved both through a system of new taxes and by applying a minimum price strategy per product category.

In view of this, can the Commission say whether:

1. it does not agree that the strategies listed in the above documents run counter to the primary sector incentive measures;

2. there is a risk that funds for the promotion of wine in third countries might be cut?

Answer given by Mr Wojciechowski on behalf of the European Commission (15 November 2021)

The Commission is committed to fighting against harmful alcohol consumption as acknowledged in the communication ‘Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan’ (1).

The EU supports wine promotion through national programmes in the wine secto r (2) and the horizontal promotion policy (3), to strengthen the competitiveness of the EU wine sector, divulge the high quality standards of EU wines, and project the rich cultural and gastronomic heritage of Europe globally.

Within the EU, only actions of information on responsible consumption and Union quality schemes may be supported, in accordance with national rules.

In line with the new Multiannual Financial Framework, the Transitional Regulation foresees a reduction of the budgetary limits for wine programmes from 2021 by 3.9% compared with the period up to 2020 (4).

Member States remain free to devote the amount of support they consider necessary for the measures they include in their programmes. The horizontal promotion policy is currently being reviewed in order to enhance its contribution to the Farm to Fork Strategy (5) and Europe’s Beating Cancer plan.

⋅1∙ COM(2021) 44 final — 3.2.21.

⋅2∙ Articles 39 to 54 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the

markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671).

⋅3∙ Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on information provision and promotion measures concerning

agricultural products implemented in the internal market and in third countries and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 3/2008 (OJ L 317, 4.11.2014, p. 56). ⋅4∙ Annex IV to Regulation (EU) 2020/2220 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 December 2020 laying down certain transitional provisions for

support from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) in the years 2021 and 2022 and amending Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013, (EU) No 1306/2013 and (EU) No 1307/2013 as regards resources and application in the years 2021 and 2022 and Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 as regards resources and the distribution of such support in respect of the years 2021 and 2022 (OJ L 437, 28.12.2020, p. 1). ⋅5∙ COM(2020) 381 final — 20.5.2020.