Final negotiations in December

By: trademagazin Date: 2007. 10. 24. 00:00

EU ministers reopened old divisions over how to overhaul Europe's vast wine sector, clashing over plans to dig up centuries-old vineyards and rekindling a north-south rift on using sugar in winemaking.

About 20 member states do not agree with the concept of banning
sugar in the first place.
Fischer Boel wants to ban sugar as a winemaking practice in
countries with cooler climates, such as Luxembourg and Austria, to increase
alcohol content.
Another problem for EU countries is a plan to extend a ban
on new vine plantings until 2013 and then scrap it. Vine planting is strictly
controlled in the EU and, with very few exceptions, no new plantings are
allowed until mid-2010.
The area that might end up being abandoned is 200,000
hectares out of the EU's vine area of 3.6 million hectares.