Ocm Wine promotion, the Call 2019/2020 published by the Ministry of Agriculture

A few days after the publication of the ministerial decree in the Official Gazette, as reported by WineNews, here is finally the call for access to funds for the measure Promotion of Ocm Wine 2019/2020, more precisely, the directorial decree no. 38781 of 30 May 2019. This call is valid for the resources of the national quota managed by the Ministry of Agricultural Policies (30 million euros), while there are 70 million euros of co-financing in the hands of the Regions, which will be allocated through special calls for proposals. The deadline for applications relating to the national quota is set on 1 July 2019. By September 25 the Regions must send to Agea the list of multi-regional projects eligible for funding, while September 30 is the deadline by which the Regions must submit to the Ministry and Agea the list of regional projects eligible for funding, and by the same date the Ministry sends Agea the list of national projects eligible for funding.
Compared to the “framework” decree, there are some changes in the ministerial order. For example, it states that “each participating subject must request, subject to the exclusion of the proposing party, a minimum contribution of 25,000 euros by third country or market of the third country of destination. If the participant reports, in relation to this request for a contribution, an amount that results in a lower contribution admitted at € 20,000.00, the expenses incurred by this participant in the specific third country or market of the third country are not recognized ”.
Furthermore, for medium and large enterprises, the maximum contribution that can be requested is 5% of the value of the total turnover reported in the last balance sheet, while for micro and small enterprises, the maximum contribution that can be requested is 10% of the turnover of the last balance sheet.
But the controversy arrives with the publication of the Call for Proposals for Wine Promotion 2019/2020 by the Ministry of Agriculture, as reported to WineNews. “This is a particularly eagerly awaited call for tenders from all Italian wineries because it allows us to support the entry of our wines into markets outside the EU through significant financial support and to open up new opportunities for producers. Precisely for these reasons, also taking into account what has happened in the past, it is surprising that the Ministry has not considered it appropriate to initiate a public and transparent discussion with representative organizations for the definition of the rules and content of the Call 2019”. Thus the agricultural organizations gathered in the wine chain, Confagricoltura, Cia, Copagri, Alleanza Cooperative Agroalimentari, Unione italiana vini, Federvini, Federdoc, and Assoenologi.