Brussels, 24 June 2016 – The European Wine sector regrets UK’s decision to leave the EU and requests that a sustainable wine trade relationship be built after the divorce.
“We acknowledge the British people’s decision to leave the European Union, but obviously we regret it. UK is the second biggest importer of wine in the world, both in volume and value. With EU wines representing almost 50% of these imports, there are no doubts that the UK market is of utmost importance for EU wine producers and that the British really appreciate EU wines” – said Ignacio Sánchez Recarte, Secretary General of CEEV. “Whatever happens, United Kingdom will remain a preferential market for EU wines and we will work with our UK colleagues to built a sustainable wine trade relation in this new political framework” – he added.
The details of the future trade relations between the EU and UK are to be defined in the next 2 years.
“We hope that the important economic activity that wine generates both in the UK (£17.3 billion) and in the EU will be taken into account when negotiating the future treaties that will rule the relationships between neighbours. Legal certainty as well as fair and transparent market access conditions are necessary for sustaining jobs and growth on both sides of the Channel.” – said CEEV Secretary General.
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Note to Editors
Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins (CEEV – www.ceev.eu) represents the wine companies in the industry and trade in the European Union: still wines, aromatised wines, sparkling wines, liqueur wines and other vine products. It brings together 24 national organisations. With more than 7.000 companies, mainly SMEs, and more than 200.000 direct jobs in the EU, its members produce and market the vast majority of quality European wines, with and without a geographical indication, and account for over 90% of European wine exports.
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