Wine and spirits labels, Ireland wants to introduce mandatory “health warnings”

We had managed to “escape” the danger of labeling wines and spirits in the European dispute over the “Beating Cancer Plan”. This was due to a long, diplomatic effort, and introducing “health warnings” on the labels of bottles, like packets of cigarettes, was avoided. Now, however, there is a danger of opening a new breach in the European Union. This is because on June 21, 2022, Ireland - as the Italian federation of wine industries, Federvini, reported — notified the European Commission the Public Health Alcohol Labeling Regulations that the Government intends to introduce the obligation to report indications relating to cancer, pregnant women and diseases of the liver on the labeling and presentation of alcoholic beverages.
Technically, they have chosen the “Tris” procedure, which means, in simple terms, that if the European Union Commission receives no objections by September 22nd, from that date the new Irish legislation will be applied to all alcoholic products placed on the National market. Specifically, labels must include warnings on the danger of alcohol consumption (and not abuse), risks of consumption during pregnancy, the direct link between alcohol and cancer, as well as the quantity of alcohol, calories and a link to a health website providing information on alcohol and its detrimental effects.
The Irish initiative has raised the level of attention on the subject. According to the CEEV-Comité Européen des Entreprises vins (which includes, in Italy, Federvini and Unione Italiana Vini - UIV, ed.), this proposal has arrived just before the European Union Commission returns to work on the issue of "health warnings" on labels, and it is a clear attempt to influence the debate at the EU level.