by Sophie Kevany

The final meeting of a French government working group charged with drafting laws to legalise alcohol publicity on the internet has ended in disarray, with a member of the group saying the economic future of the wine sector is now in doubt. “The absence of the internet as an authorised medium for alcohol publicity and the legal uncertainty over the definition of the word publicity … are resulting in the slow exclusion of wine from the [French] media,” a statement by Vin & Société (Wine and Society) said.

The statement was issued today, August 1st, following what was to have been the work group’s final meeting, yesterday July 31st.

If the government wishes to preserve its wine sector, the statement says, it must establish laws that are favourable to its development. “In the absence of such, the future of this vital sector of the French economy will be compromised,” said Marie Christine Tarby, Vin & Société President.

Since September last year, when a successful case was taken against Heineken in relation to alcohol publicity, Vin & Société has effectively become a lobbyist for the wine industry. Following the closure of the Heineken.fr website in February this year, it has been active in demanding that the French government legalise the internet as a medium for alcohol publicity. It has been a member of the government’s work group since its inception last month (June).

The group has also been at pains to explain that the current French legal definition of the word publicity – any mention of an alcoholic drink by name - means that all wine sites, according to the letter of the law, are currently illegal in France.