23.9.16 TTIP Protection for Sherry Might Not Happen

There are many in Europe, especially in France and Germany who believe the TTIP treaty is dead. It had been hoped that the controversial and increasingly unpopular Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, a trade deal between the European Union and the United States, would be concluded in 2014, but it is still ongoing and looks unlikely to be concluded till 2019, and even then maybe not to everyone’s satisfaction. One of the key elements for the wine trade is the protection of Denominaciónes de Origen, and if the deal fails, that protection will not be implemented. This is a worry for the Consejo, since there are many fake “sherries” available in the US, where Sherry, Port and Champagne for example, are considered styles of wine rather than individual wines from a specific place, and can thus be freely imitated in the US. Although the TTIP negotiations seem to be running out of steam they are not over, so the Consejo is doing its utmost to ensure the interests of Sherry are properly represented by keeping close contact with members of the Spanish negotiating delegation, the Ministry of Agriculture and the embassy in Washington.