Type: Report   Reference: I-055981   Duration: 00:02:44  Lieu:
End production: 17/12/2007   First transmission: 17/12/2007

EU Agriculture Ministers met on 17 December 2007 in Brussels to try to get an agreement on the wine sector reform. The aim of the reform is to increase the competitiveness of EU producers, win back markets, balance supply and demand, simplify the rules, preserve the best traditions of EU wine production, reinforce the social fabric of rural areas and respect the environment. Key to the reform will be making better use of the budget (1.3 billion Euros), which will remain at the current level. However, Member States still have very different points of view: nearly 20 countries headed by Germany are strongly defending the addition of sugar to the wine, while southern countries are asking for keeping the aids to must and distillation. Another controversial point is the liberalisation of plantation rights.

Only the original language version is authentic and it prevails in the event of its differing from the translated versions.
PDF version