Reiteration of the Position Statement on the World Trade Organization (WTO)

The Wine Trade Group in its Adelaide meeting reiterated to the governments attending, the following concepts previously stated in the Santiago and Queenstown meetings referring to the WTO:

1. Reduce import duties on wine to a level that will maximize meaningful market access and minimize trade distortions.

2. Eliminate grape and wine production export subsidies in all of their forms.

3. Insure compliance with existing obligations of WTO members to the agreement on TBT, SPS, TRIPS.

4. The TRIPS agreement should not be reconsidered.

Wine for Wine

The members of the Wine Trade Group jointly urge their respective governments to follow the principle that wine should not be used for retaliation in trade disputes between its members regarding products other than wine.

Wine Label Rules

The members of the Wine Trade Group jointly urge their governments to make sure that wine label rules should not be used to undermine the provisions of the MAA by requiring the disclosure of oenological practices, unless such a disclosure is required to protect the health and safety of consumers.

The industry of Argentina, in the interests of maintaining consensus within the Wine Trade Group and in keeping with its support for the letter presented by the Instituto Nacional de Vitivinicultura No. 152 D.N. dated April 4, 2001 has decided to abstain from this statement.

Mutual Acceptance Agreement

The Wine Trade Group wants to express its profound appreciation to those governments who initialed the text of the MAA here in Adelaide. The group also wants to express its strong disappointment that three of the participating governments have chosen not to initial the MAA at this time.

The Wine Trade Group therefore urges that all of the governments participating in the New World Wine Producers Forum sign the MAA at the earliest possible date but not later than September 30, 2001.

The industry of Argentina, in the interests of maintaining consensus within the Wine Trade Group and in keeping with its support for the letter presented by the Instituto Nacional de Vitivinicultura No.152 D.N. dated April 4, 2001 has decided to abstain from this statement.

Codex Alimentarius

The Wine Trade Group urges the members of the New World Wine Producers Forum to be vigilant in its participation in the activities of the Codex Alimentarius Commission with respect to wine. In particular the Wine Trade Group urges that the Committee of Experts under the MAA be formed upon the entering into force of the agreement and includes the coordination of wine issues within Codex in its responsibilities.

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