Those who trade in wine with Great Britain can count on simplified import conditions until the end of the year. The so-called import accompanying document VI-1 ("vinum importum eins") will not become necessary until 31 December 2021, as British media report.
Originally, it was planned to make these documents obligatory for wine imports as of 1 June (link). They are used for the detailed declaration of goods and require increased bureaucratic effort because, for instance, additional analyses by laboratories recognised in the importing country are necessary.
The reason for the postponement is the determined engagement of traders and the Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA). There had been an "angry letter" to the British MP Victoria Prentis, in which traders had collectively expressed their discontent. On the BBC programme "Newsnight," the two importers Daniel Lambert and Miles Beale, along with representatives of the WSTA, once again pointed out the problem to the public.
The postponement is not, according to Beale, a long-term solution: "If we can do without these certificates for a year, then the right decision must be to abolish these unnecessary, EU-like rules and reduce the bureaucracy." aw
