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FIVS

FIVS

FIVS is a worldwide organisation designed to serve all sectors of the alcohol beverage industry, including wine, beer and spirits.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Wine package: Implementation of the recommendations of the High-Level Group on wine policy

2 Jun 2025

FIVS acknowledges the announcement of the EU Wine Package, which outlines policy recommendations aimed at helping the EU wine sector address todays pressing social, economic, geopolitical, and environmental challenges. We strongly support that the European Commission be empowered to establish a harmonised system for the identification of QR codes that link to electronic labels (e-labels). Such a system should allow the use of a pictogram or symbol in place of text, to enhance clarity and improve usability for consumers and producers alike. During meetings with representatives of DG AGRI in Brussels in March 2025, FIVS was invited to present our recommendations regarding e-labelling and the identification of QR codes. In response, we are pleased to share the FIVS Good Regulatory Principles for Electronic Labelling, which outline key principles and best practices for the use of electronic means to present both voluntary and mandatory labelling information to consumers. We wish to highlight two critical considerations: 1. The development of a harmonised, language-neutral symbol or pictogram to identify QR codes is essential. Such a symbol would prevent consumer confusion and facilitate streamlined compliance across Member States. 2. This symbol should be developed and adopted as soon as possible. Ideally it should be defined in the wine package itself, but if finally introduced via a delegated act, we urge the Commission to ensure its availability before the start of the 2026 Southern hemisphere harvest. Additionally, we would like to raise concerns regarding the proposed change to Article 119(1)(a)(ii) of Regulation 1308/2013, which would replace the term partially de-alcoholised with alcohol light. This new terminology and the requirement that the alcohol content of a product is to be at least 30% below the minimum actual alcoholic strength of the category, are problematic. This threshold creates a loophole: products that have been de-alcoholised below the minimum strength of their category, but not by 30%, would not qualify under the new term. Would such products be able to be placed on the market, and if so, how would they be labelled? As such, to avoid confusion and maintain regulatory coherence, we recommend replacing the term partially de-alcoholised with the term alcohol low instead of alcohol light. ________________________________________ About FIVS FIVS is THE global voice of wine and associated sectors; the international wine federation. FIVS advocates to ensure an operating environment free from distorting barriers. Our membership comprises of 50 leading wine companies and trade bodies from 19 countries, accounting for more than 85% of global wine production.
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Response to Sustainable food system – setting up an EU framework

26 Oct 2021

FIVS welcomes the opportunity to participate in the EU Inception Impact Assessment on the Sustainable food system framework. By way of background, FIVS is a global trade federation for the alcohol beverage industry since 1951. We are committed to providing a venue and developing tools to encourage social, environmental, and economic sustainability among our members and the wider sector, in keeping with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Our membership includes producers, importers, exporters, and trade associations (currently accounting for 75% of the wine traded globally). We also welcome and collaborate effectively with affiliates from allied industries. FIVS also holds observer status at the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the International Organisation of Vine and Wine. FIVS and its members support the Commission’s efforts to tackle climate change by creating sustainable food systems. Given the breadth and depth of existing schemes that have been developed over the past two decades and are effectively addressing these issues, FIVS strongly recommends Option 1 – Baseline. In particular, FIVS would like to highlight the following elements: 1. Common definition of sustainability Sustainability should be clearly defined within the scope of this initiative, taking into account not only environmental aspects, but also social and economic ones. The definition should be in line with already existing definitions adopted by international organisations such the FAO, the UN and the WTO. 2. Recognition of existing sustainable practices in specific sectors The global wine industry has been committed to all three pillars of sustainability (economic, social, and environmental) for the past 15 years as demonstrated by FIVS’s numerous principles and guidelines: - FIVS Global Wine Producers’ Environmental Sustainability Principles - FIVS Social Sustainability Principles for Ethical Trading - FIVS Guiding Principles for Advertising and Marketing - with Annex on Digital Marketing - FIVS-ASSURE – public online database gathering resources on social sustainability programmes in the wine, spirits and beer sectors - FIVS Regulatory Principles to Enhance Coherence and to Facilitate Trade in Wine FIVS members have also developed national programmes, which recognise different regional situations, to assist wineries in implementing sustainable activities, including: Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, Sustainability Code of the Chilean Wine Industry, Equalitas (Italy), Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand, Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Programme (Portugal), Wineries for Climate Protection (Spain), Integrated Production of Wine (South Africa), and California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (USA). These practices, based on voluntary approaches, and their impacts should be recognised when assessing the appropriate policy option for specific sectors. 3. Science-based decision making & multi-stakeholder collaboration Sustainability assessments and criteria should be science and evidence based, with clearly defined methodologies. Economic operators should be consulted when developing sustainability schemes to ensure they adequately take into account the nature of the regulated products, including for labelling purposes. 4. International trade obligations and cooperation International trade rules and WTO obligations should be respected to avoid creating trade barriers and conflicts, including possible retaliations on EU exports. Trading partners should be kept informed of evolving legislative requirements and be given sufficient time to adapt to new legal frameworks. To this end, FIVS believes Option 1 – Baseline is the appropriate policy to implement a sustainable food system as it de facto already encompasses multiple voluntary schemes, which have been successful in furthering the wine sector’s overall sustainability. Please see FIVS’s and its members’ detailed contribution to sustainability in the attached paper.
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