The final stage of the European Union wine reform, agreed by agriculture ministers in December 2007 , enters into force on 1 st August. The wide-ranging reform, the first stage of which applied from 1 st August last year, should bring balance to the wine market, phase out wasteful and expensive market intervention measures and allow the budget to be used for more positive, proactive measures which will boost the competitiveness of European wines.
 

The reform on the wine EU market will contribute to environmental protection in wine-growing regions, safeguard traditional and well-established quality policies and simplify labelling rules, for the benefit of producers and consumers alike. The restrictive planting rights system will also be abolished at EU level from 1 January 2016 onwards, and funds for measures like wine promotion on third country markets, restructuring and investment in modernisation of vineyards and cellars will grow up.

This second phase of the reform includes three sets of rules concerning:

• Protected designations of origin (PDO) and protected geographical indications (PGI), traditional terms, labelling and presentation of wine
• Wine-making practices.
• The vineyard register, compulsory declarations and the gathering of information to monitor the wine market, the documents accompanying consignments of wine products and the wine sector registers to be kept.

The new labelling and presentation rules will improve communication with the consumer. On PDO/PGI and traditional terms, the Regulation establishes the rules for their protection. It also includes the procedures for the examination of the applications for protection, for objections and their cancellation or modification. The legislation ensures that well-established national quality policies are safeguarded. Also, certain traditional terms and bottle shapes can continue to be protected. The indication of the vintage year and vine grape varieties will now be possible for wines without PDO/PGI.

The Regulation adopted on wine-making practices ensures the best traditions of Community wine-making are preserved while creating an opening to innovation.

The procedure for adopting new oenological practices and modifying existing techniques has been made more flexible. The Commission has now assumed responsibility from the Council for evaluating the list of oenological practices approved by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), except on enrichment and acidification, and it will add these practices to the list of EU approved techniques where necessary.

The first phase of the wine reform has already been implemented. It concerns national support programmes using national financial envelopes, trade with third countries, production potential including a grubbing-up scheme and controls in the wine sector.

The budget available for the support measures increases from year to year, starting at 794 million euros in 2009 and rising to 1.231 billion euros in 2013.

The reform of the wine market was approved by the Council of Ministers in April 2008 after the Commission proposal of December last year, and the first stage entered into force on August 2008.