Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-06-15-Speech-4-176"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20060615.27.4-176"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, like some of my fellow Members, I signed this oral question on the use of wood chippings as an œnological practice for European wines. I signed it because I wonder whether, and hope that, guarantees can be given to ensure that the quality wines we are producing in Europe are and continue to be recognised as quality wines.
It would not shock me at all if this practice were to be recognised and authorised. The wine production sector has been waiting for this recognition because it will allow some producers to meet the expectations of international consumers. Furthermore, there will be no compulsory expansion of this practice: the Member States will still be free to lay down restrictive legislation for quality wines produced in specified areas.
Nevertheless, I think we need both guarantees regarding the provision of information on wines that have undergone this practice and also quality guarantees. I would like to emphasise that the recognition of this practice, which has been imported from countries outside the European Union, does not legitimise other practices that do not seem to provide the necessary quality guarantees both in terms of health and in terms of identity. Wine is a very particular product that conveys an identity and a whole way of life, so let us not move too rapidly towards the practice of 'patchwork' wines.
Finally, I would like to take advantage of this debate to lay the emphasis on the forthcoming Common Market Organisation (CMO) review, which should give European viticulture a real solution for the future. European wine producers need to get the benefit from the worldwide growth in the wine market, and this needs to be ensured through a redistribution of the financial aid from the CMO. The decoupling of aid could be the solution that will enable us to give greater responsibility to those active in the sector, with the benefit that all the wine produced will have outlets on the consumer market. We need to re-examine the distillation conditions – for potable alcohol and crisis distillation – as part of a system based on a degressive guide price over the course of the campaign. Equally, we need to encourage the use of vine-based products to enrich wines, for example using grape must instead of sugar.
In order to ensure that European wines retain their position as world leaders, the European Union must use the new CMO to construct a policy for promotion, marketing, research and development and training, and it also needs to establish an economic observatory. There is absolutely no doubt that we need to reform the restructuring, planting and grubbing up systems in order to respond to the needs of the market over the medium to long term, but we also need to preserve the surface area of vineyards – in other words, we need to preserve the European Union's wine-growing potential.
It is quite inconceivable for European vineyards to disappear from our landscapes, from our history and from our rural and cultural heritage, which has been shaped over so many years by wine producers on land uniquely suited to growing grapes. What will become of this land and of those who live off it, those who have worked to improve their art for the great pleasure of consumers, or perhaps I could say gourmets."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples