At the meeting, which took place at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environmental Affairs, representations of both public authorities took part, together with representatives of the wine sectors from each country. Close attention was paid to the situation created by the incidents that have been taking place for more than a year now against the Spanish wine sector, with the aim of seeking solutions and avoiding these incidents being repeated in the future. In response to the Spanish concern, the French authorities reported on the different actions they have been taking in recent months. French authorities and professionals expressed their outright condemnation of these incidents.
During the meeting, it was decided that it would be convenient to step up relations between the public authorities and professional associations of both countries, and an agreement was reached to set up a Joint France-Spain Committee for the wine sector which, similarly to the committee set up for the fruit and vegetable sector, will constitute a meeting point which will be beneficial to the wine sector in both countries, by analysing the problems on a joint basis.
This meeting was thus the first step in reaching an understanding between French and Spanish professional associations in the wine sector, a necessary basis for resolving the incidents mentioned and for jointly addressing issues relating to the economy of the sector and phytosanitary issues, while also defending fundamental issues in the framework of the future CAP before the European Union, such as the system of vineyard authorisations and the maintenance of the Support Programme for the wine sector.
With this aim in mind, it was agreed to hold the first constitutive meeting of the Joint Committee in July in Paris, with a view to setting out the goals, operation and composition of this committee in detail.
Ministerio de Agricultura y Pesca, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente