2024-07-10 00:09:34
The European Commission today invited representatives of EU Member States to participate in a high-level group on wine policy, where the challenges and opportunities facing the sector will be discussed. The group will hold its first meeting on September 11, 2024. Stakeholder organizations will also be invited to the first meeting to present their assessment of the situation and prospects for the wine sector in the EU, the EC said, quoted by BTA.
EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski announced the creation of a high-level group at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting on 27 May 2024 in response to requests from the European wine sector.
Over the past two decades, the EU wine sector has been a success story. Framed by a comprehensive regulatory system, the EU leads the world with exports that have tripled in value over the period. Despite this success and its significant contribution to EU GDP, the sector now faces significant challenges due to a long-term decline in domestic consumption, changing consumer preferences and an unstable and less globalized international context affecting key export markets. In addition, the sector faces increasingly unpredictable production conditions and harvests due to climate change.
The EU wine sector must adapt to these new realities and the policy framework must be appropriate to accompany the necessary transition.
The High Level Group on Wine Policy will serve as a forum to address these challenges and explore possible solutions. It will meet at least three times and is expected to present conclusions and recommendations for future policy development by early 2025.
Context
The wine sector is a pillar of the EU’s cultural heritage and makes a vital contribution to the Union’s economy, society and rural areas. The wine value chain enhances the quality, sustainability and competitiveness of the EU agricultural sector. It creates around 3 million direct and indirect full-time jobs, most of them in rural areas, and contributes around €130 billion to EU GDP, including the direct and induced value generated throughout the supply chain. At EU level, the viticulture sector is protected by a comprehensive regulatory framework and supported by wine support programs in producing countries.
The EU is the world leader in wine production (60 percent), consumption (48 percent) and export value (60 percent). At the same time, social and demographic changes are affecting the quantity, quality and types of wine consumed. Wine consumption is at its lowest level in three decades. The EU’s leading red wines are being replaced by fresher and lighter wines or other drinks that are easier to adapt to new tastes. Traditional EU wine export markets have been affected by a combination of reduced consumption and geopolitical factors, leading to more volatile import patterns. In addition, production becomes unpredictable, given the extreme vulnerability of the wine sector to climate change. The EC is working with EU Member States to help the wine sector adapt to these complex new realities. The latest data on the wine sector can be found at the Wine Market Observatory.