THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION WITHDRAWS THE PROJECT FOR REGULATING ORGANIC WINE

The European Commission has withdrawn the project on regulations for organic wine. The committee for regulating organic wine made the surprise announcement today in Brussels, during the meeting of the 27 European Union countries to vote on the project.

”The Commission has withdrawn the project on organic wine because it did not reach a credible compromise that respects the real organic standards on existing conventional wines,” said Roger White, spokesman for EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos, confirming the decision in Brussels.

“The Commission,” the spokesman said, “prefers to wait, possibly even several years, rather than agree on a compromise that reduces the value of the term “organic” for which we require clear and credible rules”.

Commissioner Ciolos, in the recent European Union Council of Ministers of Agriculture in Merida (Spain), stressed: “Organic wine must be truly organic wine”, and he was not willing to compromise on this point. The European Commission’s project provided for a presence of sulphites in wine of 100 milligrams per liter for red wines and 150 for white wines and rosé, or 50 milligrams less for each category on the current levels for conventional wines. Many EU countries (mainly in Northern Europe, plus France and Portugal) have protested against these limitations that they consider too rigid.

These are member States whose territories lack sunlight, either partially or entirely, and need sulphites (i.e., the addition of sulfur dioxide, which is an anti-oxidant) to stabilize the wine, as well as sugar to increase the alcohol content.
The Commission document was, however, considered an acceptable basis by the southern European countries, as organic wine is a niche production, still to be exploited. Of course, the northern European countries do not want to lose out on this market and at the same time they cannot do without sulphites for production.

Source: Ansa (Italian press agency)