Paris (AFP)

The French wine industry estimates its needs "high minus 500 million euros" to meet the combined challenges of the coronavirus crisis, Trump's taxes and the decline in overall consumption of wine in the European Union.

"Unfortunately, at this stage the response of the European Commission is very insufficient both in financial terms and in terms of regulatory relaxation," wrote Tuesday evening eight organizations representing an agricultural and commercial sector which generates some 500,000 direct and indirect jobs in France.

"Our organizations expect the French government to show greater commitment", they add, in response to the announcement by the Minister of Agriculture Didier Guillaume Thursday evening of a "support plan" for viticulture, with its counterpart from the Economy Bruno Le Maire.

France is the second world wine producer behind Italy in volume, but the first exporter in value, with 12.2 billion euros of wine and brandy sold abroad in 2018, representing more than 2 billion bottles in more than 200 countries.

Beyond the 500 million euros, outside the national aid program (NA) to manage the availability on the market at attractive prices and at substantial volumes, the winegrowers also ask for the authorization of a crisis distillation " at least three million hectoliters of surplus wine "for a budget of" 260 million euros including distillers ", after the drop in consumption due to the closure of all restaurants and cafes in mid-March, and the Declining exports to the United States due to taxes imposed by the Trump administration in October.

In addition, they like, like many other economic sectors extinguished by confinement, "an exemption" at least until the end of 2020, "social contributions from operators (Amexa) and employers' social charges (MSA and Ursaff) for businesses and operations ".

Finally, they are once again asking the French government to act to "resolve the aeronautical dispute" between the EU and the United States, whose French wine sector is paying the price, the 25% taxes it suffers in the United States. States having been imposed in retaliation for a transatlantic aviation conflict.

"The French wine industry is a pillar of the national economy. It cannot be forgotten by the public authorities. The French state must put in place an ambitious plan for our sector," said the press release.

© 2020 AFP