by Hervé Lalau
A study published by the Brussels based lawyers O'Connor & Cy opposes reform projects initiated by the EU (OCM vin). These reforms include the abolition of market management measures and the
ending of planting restrictions. Under the proposal, the system of planting rights will be extended until the end of the reform’s transitional period in 2013 and then abolished from 1 January 2014, to allow competitive wine producers to expand their production. The decision to increase production will depend on the producers' ability to sell what they produce
O'Connor & Cy says the Commission's proposals are inconsistent, both legally and technically.
First, it says controlling the production volumes via the scope statement and regulations (cahiers des charges) of the AOC,DO and DOC is illegal, for these are only meant to control the quality of the end product, not the actual surfaces of vines planted within an area.
Using these quality regulations to implement a volume control would be also be incompatible with the text of the new EC Regulation project.
Furthermore, according to the O'Connor & Cy study, a liberalisation of plantings would simply annihilate years of striving for quality and "dilute the AOC concept". This would contradict the main objective of the EU, and thus breach the EU Treaty.
The study was officially presented to EC Commissioner Marian Fischer Boel on 20th November. No information is available about who commissioned or paid for it, although it may have been by France’s Confédération nationale des producteurs de vins et eaux-de-vie de vin à appellations d’origine controlees (Confederation of national wine and brandy producers of appellations of origin), who released it and who oppose the EU reforms.
