Italiano
The enemies of wine
This may appear to be a repetition of what we have often written about before, however, a threat exists and it is real and what took place at the start of the year may have been just a truce in an offensive that has come back in a big way.
We have said this many times (see related articles) but the situation remains the same: The European Parliament’s BeCa (Beating Cancer) committee is on the offensive against the world of wine. It is doing it this time backed up by a resolution adopted by the World Health Organization(WHO)- Region Europe aimed at combating alcohol consumption and reducing its per capita consumption by 10% by 2025. On close examination, the WHO document, “European Framework for Action on Alcohol 2022-2025”, is a departure from the Global Alcohol Strategy that the WHO adopted only last May and the Cancer Plan passed by the European Parliament, which emphasized the need to focus on the harmful consumption of alcohol. Be that what it may, this latest document appears to emphasize that “no safe level” exists for alcohol consumption. In other words, the attack is full-frontal.
The BeCa committee is currently back on the offensive with a series of regulatory proposals aimed at drastically limiting the consumption of alcohol. These include printing warnings on wine bottle labels similar to those currently found on cigarette packs, like “harmful to your health”, and other measures that are even worse. These could include banning the advertising of alcohol products, cutting or even eliminating public funding to promote the wine sector, including those from Common Market Organizations (CMO) and the regional development plans of EU member states, which would hike up the price of wine in order to discourage its consumption.
This is being justified on the assumption that alcohol consumption, no matter of what or how much, is to be avoided as much as possible in the interest of personal health and the cost of treating illnesses related to alcohol consumption. There is thus no distinction between use and abuse, alcohol should not be consumed and that’s that and this based on irrefutable “scientific evidence”.
And it appears to make no difference to point out that, in Italy and despite everything, average lifespans have risen or that over the past 40 years per capita wine consumption has fallen from more than 110 liters to just over 40, which exemplifies an ability of people to self-regulate themselves that goes far beyond the aims of the drafters of drastic regulation packages. But, then, they are “enlightened” ones who have to explain everything to us and impose conducts they consider “correct” for all of us poor mortals who need to be guided in the right direction.
A lot of people are worried, producers as well as Italian MEPs, even if some of the latter will incredibly vote in favor of the new measures when the European Parliament, the body that will have to adopt and eventually enforce these measures, takes up the case. We’ll see what happens next month.
One final consideration. The European Union does little or nothing to stop the war raging at our gates, does little or nothing to resolve the very serious energy crisis and does little or nothing in regard to questions that affect us directly and yet it takes the time to do something and much harm to the wine sector. Food for thought.
