EU begins final talks on controversial wine reform

LUCIA KUBOSOVA

17.12.2007 @ 09:30 CET

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU farm ministers are today (17 December) embarking on what are set to be marathon talks on controversial proposals of the bloc's wine sector.

The architect of the plans, EU agriculture commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel, has suggested that she is ready to fight for her plans despite strong opposition from some member states.

• Print
• Comment article

Portugal, the current holder of the EU presidency, has been planning to keep the ministerial meeting going for as long as it takes to reach a deal.

But diplomats have suggested member states are likely to agree on a compromise deal as early as Monday evening.

The disputed reform blueprint aims to help European wine makers withstand the challenges of global competition and at the same time secure more effective spending of EU farm subsidies. But several wine producing countries suggest it could be harmful to their producers and winery growers.

For her part, commissioner Fischer Boel told EUobserver shortly ahead of today's ministerial debate on her proposal that she expects "it's going to be a difficult one. I don't underestimate it."

"I know I will have to swallow camels and member states as well will have to make concessions but I hope we will be able to find a compromise to the benefit of the wine sector.

"Some people think that the reform will spoil the wine sector but on the contrary, it will be beneficial and help us spend EU taxpayers' money in a more intelligent way than just for distillation," she said.

The commissioner got a likely foretaste of the way a compromise could look after the European Parliament's vote last week, with several key elements of the blueprint dropped due to severe opposition.

MEPs rejected her suggestion to ban adding sugar to wine, a practice traditionally used in some countries in northern and central Europe with less sunshine over the year.

At the same time, they called for subsidies to southern countries for using pure grape juice to be maintained and not scrapped as suggested by the commission.

The parliamentarians also rejected the idea of a full liberalization of planting rights for quality wine makers on areas previously not used as vineyards by 2014, seen as a way of allowing competitive wine producers to expand their production.

Finally, they called for three years instead of five for EU compensation funds to be distributed to wine makers who decide to give up their activities. Cutting down on wineries is seen as key for Europe to avoid having an excess of wine that will reach 15 percent of annual production by the end of this decade.

While the EU assembly currently only has a consultative role in EU debate over farm funds and can be outvoted by member states, the new Lisbon treaty signed last week will boost their task and involve MEPs in co-decision over agriculture issues.

But although Mrs Fischer Boel sees that EU deputies often defend their local and national interests, she believes that an increased role for the bloc's legislature is a good decision.

"Agriculture is so essential that for me it would be a bit artificial to maintain the situation where the parliament is only consultative. But what might happen is that it could become a more lengthy procedure while so far we have been able to act fairly quickly."

If adopted on Monday, the measures proposed as part of the wine reform are due to go into effect next year, ready for the earliest harvest.