The president’s agenda
SpiritsEUROPE represents one of Europe’s most valuable agri-food export sectors and, with it, the interests of 31 associations of spirits producers as well as 11 leading multinational companies. Distilled spirits are as diverse as the EU itself, spanning 44 product categories and including a host of geographically-specific products that contribute to the culture of their regions 250 geographical indications (GIs).
What are the three priorities of spiritsEUROPE?
The first one is to promote open and regulated international trade. On July 15, together with 30 major European organisations, we signed a Joint Declaration calling for an ambitious and open trade policy to support the EU’s competitiveness and economic prosperity.
We outlined specific requests such as the conclusion of new free trade agreements, the appointment of a dedicated trade commissioner, and support for the WTO and the international rules-based system to ensure a fair and predictable trading environment. The Recognition of Digital Information for Consumers is our second objective.
At present, digital solutions meet the expectations of various stakeholders. Producers can share additional information about the product and its production with their customers without the space constraints of physical labels. Accessible by scanning a QR code, digital labels provide consumers with multiple pieces of information, including nutritional content and guidance for responsible consumption, in several languages. From an environmental perspective, the ability to instantly update online information reduces costs and waste.
Our goal is to engage in a constructive conversation on this subject with EU institutions and relevant stakeholders. This debate is not about whether to support or oppose digital labels — they are already a reality — but rather about finding an appropriate and workable balance regarding what should be on labels and what should be online to help consumers make more informed choices. The third one concerns promoting responsible consumption.
Over the past decade, Europe has seen significant declines in key indicators related to harmful consumption, encouraging continued promotion of moderation and responsible, informed choices. Alcoholic beverages can be part of a balanced lifestyle if consumed in moderation. However, coordinated efforts are needed to further reduce harmful consumption.
Our request for the new European legislature is to restart a structured dialogue among all stakeholders concerned with this important issue. Specifically, we call on the next Health Commissioner to revive the European Alcohol and Health Forum, which brought together all those who share the goal of harm reduction, inviting them to discuss and work together.
What are the positive developments expected with the new European Parliament?
In terms of the EU’s agenda for the next five years and how it can benefit our sector, it is indeed a little early to tell, as the broad programme lines of the next Commission are only partially clear. But we have a clear objective, which is to persuade both new and existing decision-makers to adopt EU policies that support the sustainable growth of our sector and the competitiveness of EU industry in general. In practice, this means ending the fragmentation of the single market and establishing the EU as a leader in digital food and drink labelling.
The EU should adopt public-private partnership approaches that combine legislative and self-regulatory initiatives to promote sustainable food systems. Finally, it is crucial to strengthen the EU’s role as a global trade champion. The next five years should focus on intensifying efforts to remove trade barriers, targeting untapped markets with high potential through new free trade agreements, regulatory cooperation and better enforcement of existing commitments.
What are the main challenges and opportunities of the spirits sector?
Looking at major policy issues of relevance to our sector, we can see elements of both – challenge and opportunity – in all of them. Our job in the association is to try to reduce, as much as that is possible, the challenging aspects and ensure that the elements of opportunity prevail! The Single Market has been and remains a huge opportunity for our sector, creating common rules and enabling frictionless movement of spirits in what was historically a very diversely regulated geographical area with more than 400 million consumers. At the same time, the risk of national re-fragmentation of common rules has always been there and remains a real challenge today.
Sustainability is another major area where challenge and opportunity typically go hand in hand. Spirits are a sector with a particularly strong and impressive sustainability track record in terms of economic, social and environmental sustainability. Still, we can’t be complacent, and the long-term sustainability strategies put in place by major spirits category associations such as Cognac or Scotch and producing companies are credentials of our strong sustainability ambitions within our sector.
We view the protection and promotion of Europe’s cultural food and drink heritage and culinary traditions – of which spirits are an important part – as a huge opportunity. Here, we are extremely grateful for the work by the European Commission to continuously improve the international protection of EU food and drinks with Geographical Indication status and promote consumer awareness of GI quality food and drink products around the world. At the same time, such efforts need to go hand in hand with an ambitious trade policy to ensure fair and adequate market access for such products. Trade barriers in third countries and the risks of trade disputes remain significant challenges for the spirits sector today.
Can you explain the position of the Ireland and why it is detrimental to the sector?
In May 2023, Ireland passed a law requiring health labelling on alcoholic beverages to warn people about calorie content, grams of alcohol, risks of cancer and liver disease, and the dangers of drinking during pregnancy. The law would come into force on 22 May 2026 to give businesses time to adapt. This legislation has been opposed by many countries in Europe and beyond, but the Commission has not stopped Ireland from erecting a new barrier to the single market. On this basis, we have lodged a formal complaint asking the European Commission to open an infringement procedure against Ireland for breaching EU law with its planned new regulation on labelling rules for alcoholic beverages.
The proposed measures risk fragmenting the single market by diverging from harmonised EU labelling rules. They also constitute a disproportionate barrier to trade. In practice, the new rules would prevent operators from selling in Ireland alcoholic beverages that are legally sold in all other EU Member States, unless the products were relabelled with additional information on the grams of alcohol and number of calories in the container, as well as textual and pictorial health warnings. This would make it significantly more complex and expensive for non-Irish producers and distributors, both inside and outside the EU, to make their products available to Irish consumers.
We fully recognise and respect Ireland’s right to take measures to ensure a high level of public health protection for its citizens. There are many meaningful, proportionate and evidence-based public health measures available to help reduce alcohol-related harm. However, it appears that Ireland has not carried out an adequate analysis of the proportionality of its particular policy choices on labelling, as there are clearly other appropriate but less restrictive options available.
We are awaiting the Commission’s feedback on our complaint, but we have done our homework and have a robust list of data and scientific evidence to back our legitimate complaint.
spiritsEUROPE represents one of Europe’s most valuable agri-food sectors in terms of exports, as well as the interests of 30 associations of spirits producers in 24 European countries (EU27 + Norway, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland), along with 11 major multinational companies.
- Exports outside the EU-27: €9 billion in 2023
- 250 Geographical Indications (GIs)
- 1.2 million jobs in the EU in production and sales within the EU+
- €25.3 billion generated by VAT and excise duties (EU+)
- On-trade and off-trade gross sales (2022 figures): €40.3 billion.
