AREV International Congress
Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
8-9 May 2014 Contribution of Jean-Paul BACHY
President of the AREV
I would like to welcome you all to Luxembourg!
This country has always been considered to be at the very heart of Europe and its history. It is also
the headquarters of several European institutions.
Welcome on this 9th of May. This date was not selected at random. On the 9th of May 1950, Robert
Schuman, then French Minister for Foreign Affairs, at the instigation of Jean Monnet, the
Commissioner for Planning, proposed the creation of a European Coal and Steel Community. This act
clearly indicated the will of these countries, which had fought 3 wars, to achieve reconciliation and
work together to construct the future of their economies.
This appeal was issued to all countries wishing to participate. It was the first founding act of the
European Union. We are commemorating the anniversary of this event today.
Thank you to all our friends from Luxembourg who have welcomed us so warmly, starting with Aly
Leonardy, the first Vice President of the AREV, as well as all those who have assisted him in
organising this congress.
Thank you to all the delegates here present. They come from 14 countries, which bears ample
witness to their great diversity.
Thank you to all the individuals who have agreed to participate in our work, Mr Etgen, the
Luxembourg Minister of Agriculture, Robert Ley, Director of the Vine and Wine Institute, Mr Juban,
Assistant Director of the OIV, and Florence Rojal, who represents the World Intellectual Property
Organisation (WIPO).
I would also like to thank Astrid Lulling, President of the European Parliament’s wine intergroup, for
her presence here. We pay tribute to her during this congress for the significant work she has
accomplished over more than 25 years in the defence of European wine production.
As this session opens, Europe is at the centre of our preoccupations. The CAP reform has begun; the
elections to the European Parliament will take place in a matter of days; commercial negotiations
between Europe and the USA are initiated. More than ever before, the defence and promotion of the
European wine-producing regions is at the top of the agenda. Our collective commitment, the weight
of our arguments, supported by the conclusions of the report by Professor Montaigne, have enabled
us to avoid the worst, to weaken the dogmatism of the ultra liberals and to make the Brussels
Commission see sense. We have not been alone in this struggle. Many organisations and
parliamentarians have stood by our side.
We have succeeded in maintaining, in principle, the system of controlling production rights, which
effectively guarantee quality, the wine appellations. But we must remain vigilant regarding the
clarification of the rules of application and the delegated acts. This is especially true regarding two
specific points:
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We have taken care to avoid creating any divergences between producers and vintners.
Controlling the market does not mean excessive conservatism and blocking all evolution. The
essential thing is to manage intelligently. We must in any case continue to exercise pressure
on the European Commission.
Consultative technical groups will be created. The AREV must participate in these. The
differences of opinion which we have had in the past with certain Commission functionaries
may lead them to wish to exclude the political representatives from our regions. But the
AREV has a professional association, and its members have a legitimate role to play in these
technical groups. This is what we intend to ask of Commissioner Ciolos.
The priority given to the problems associated with the regulation of the internal European market
has until now distracted us somewhat from the need to establish our position in another currently
pressing debate: the USA/EUROPE free trade negotiations. Here too, firmness is required. It is
essential for the future of European wine-making and agriculture. The paradox with the USA is that
the self-proclaimed champion of free trade is in fact one of the most protectionist countries in the
world. Added to this is the systematic application of unfair practices. It is absolutely unacceptable
that the Americans should be allowed to fraudulently profit from the traditional European wine
descriptions and appellations. Without wishing to make unfounded accusations or block the
negotiations, it is nevertheless time for us to clearly mark our territory.
This is the subject of the resolution submitted to you by the committee. It has the support of the
CEPV (European Wine Trade Council). I hope that you will give it your full support and that it will be
unanimously adopted. I also hope that we can distribute it more widely to our governments, national
parliamentarians and the future elected members of the European Parliament.
Our internal work must continue, in particular regarding three subjects:
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A number of diseases are currently poisoning the life of our vineyards, including flavescence
dorée. The CEPV has been involved in long talks on this subject. The AREV must create the
conditions for an exchange of practices in order to more effectively harmonise the measures
adopted to combat and prevent the disease.
We must also continue to promote sustainable viticulture, which is respectful of the
environment. This also involves innovative projects to promote the by-products of the wine
industry. Systematic distillation or the exclusive use of by-products for the natural
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fertilisation of the soil; the choice should not be so rigid. Many other forms of promotion and
development exist, in cosmetics, the pharmaceutical industry, the development of
renewable energies, etc… we must continue working on this.
Steep slope viticulture: the CEPV has decided to entrust this dossier to Vice President Ettore
Ponzo. I know that it is in more than capable hands.
Dear colleagues,
I have been presiding over this assembly for 6 years. I hope that I have proven myself to be worthy of
this considerable responsibility. I had hoped to relinquish my duties on the occasion of this congress,
firstly due to the uncertainties in the electoral calendar in France, and secondly because renewal is
always useful. Unfortunately, no other colleagues have declared their candidacy. Subject to your
approval, I therefore agree to temporarily continue my mandate. I have the three following shortterm objectives:
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It is essential to finally equip European viticulture and your regions with a reliable tool for
analysis and market monitoring.
We have made a proposal to Commissioner Ciolos for the creation of a European wine observatory.
For the moment we have received no reply from him. Perhaps we were not sufficiently insistent or
specific in our request. This will therefore have to be repeated. There is nothing stopping us,
moreover, from questioning the representatives of our governments at the OIV and requesting
access to the information at their disposal. Regarding the OIV, in accordance with the mandate you
gave me, our contribution as an observer will be reduced by half from 2015 onwards - which was the
goal. We must now find new means to work effectively with the OIV, and this will imply greater
involvement on our part.
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We have also decided, over the past 3 years, to commit ourselves to serious reflection on the
matter of wine tourism.
The current situation has been analysed, and the result highlights considerable disparity, both in
terms of the infrastructure and the organisation within our member regions. Starting from this
observation, we wanted to look further, and establish what tools could be used in order to more
effectively promote our wines and our territories. The stakes here are more global. AREV’s strategy
has always been defensive, and can be summed up in the following question: how can we protect the
European wine market against the great tide of ultra-liberalism? For this we need to be more
offensive. We have equipped ourselves with the tools for protection. Do we also want to equip
ourselves with the tools for promotion? We must face facts: the battles fought and won to preserve
the rules of the European market have not stopped us from losing ground. Over the past 15 years,
Europe’s share of the global wine market has dropped from 60% to barely 50%. We must draw the
necessary conclusions and face the consequences. Faced with the ever-evolving modes of wine
consumption and competition from new wine-producing countries, European viticulture is in
desperate need of an image and an identity. Our wines are unique, and our regions are unique. But
the word needs to be spread, because many of our regions are still relatively unknown on the big
promising markets on the other side of the world. It will undoubtedly be necessary for the AREV to
go to Brussels and remind the Commission members of their duties on a regularly basis. But it must
also be understood that the stakes have now become global. The battle is no longer simply being
fought within Europe. It is no longer purely legal. The battle is now being fought through lobbying,
through marketing, and though communication. What image do we want to give to our European
wines? What is it that makes them special? What are our specific values? If we want to sell more,
what are our arguments, what are the particular assets of our European wines that set them apart
from the wines of the New World? Is the “every man for himself” attitude an appropriate response?
Could developing tourism within our territories to more effectively spread the message of our
diversity, our landscapes and our heritage represent a solution?
The AREV may not have the capacity to bear its own label or seal of approval, which is first and
foremost a tool for monitoring and regulatory conformity. But I believe that it can and should provide
its members with a platform, and promotional and marketing tools enabling them to raise their
profile and make themselves better known both to their customers and the public at large. Very few
of our vineyards can boast world-wide renown. Should we be content with this situation? Isn’t the
goal of the AREV to raise our members’ profile, by helping them to create their own brand image,
based firmly on the value of the heritage of their unique territory? This is the task and question that
was entrusted to the Outremer consultancy team by the wine tourism commission and the AREV
committee, on the 08/05/2014 in Remich
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Being stronger, extending the influence of the AREV and opening its doors even wider… this
is the 3rd goal I want to share with you. Let us remain clear-headed, the budgetary
constraints and the paucity of public funding mean that our members are now paying
heavier contributions than ever, and some regions are struggling. We must remobilise them.
But I am also convinced that there are many regions that are now ready to join us. This is
especially true in the countries that have recently joined the EU or are currently preparing to
join. I suggest that we set ourselves the goal of recruiting 10 new regions to our ranks over
the coming year.
Due to internal political circumstances, the Balkan regions were unable to hold the meeting in
Vojvodina that had been planned at the beginning of the year, and we will have to retake the
initiative.
They say that Europe is in recession. It’s true that Europe is not shielded from the imbalances that
currently torment the rest of the world. But the construction of Europe remains a vision and a goal
that is well worth fighting for. If Europe were so bad, why would so many countries still wish to join
it? But what kind of Europe do we want? We surely don’t want an economic jungle from which only
the big multinationals profit, nor do we want a Europe of technocrats who are ever increasingly cut
off from the day-to-day problems of the populations. The Europe we want is a Europe of democracy,
of decentralisation, of regions. It is the Europe of youth, of creation, of information… But it is also a
Europe of unique lands and territories, of quality of life, of a heritage that has been handed down
over the centuries. Wine, as we all know, has been a symbol and bearer of civilisation since Greek
and Roman times. Now it is up to the AREV to bear this message. This message is not only charged
with history. It is above all a message charged with the future.
Jean-Paul BACHY
President of the AREV