France expects to resolve champagne labeling problem in Russia in the near future, minister says

PARIS, September 23. / TASS /. France expects Russia to impose a moratorium soon on the provision of its federal law on viticulture and winemaking regulating the use of regional names for sparkling wines, the French Minister for Foreign Trade said Thursday and to the economic attractiveness of Franck Riester.

“We have been negotiating with the Russian authorities in a positive and constructive manner for several weeks now. I hope that soon – in the hours or days to come – we will receive good news regarding the establishment of a moratorium on the law,” did he declare. the France 2 television channel. The French Minister Delegate underlined that the protection of appellations of origin is an issue of great importance for France.

“Champagne is the feat of France and Champagne in particular,” he said. At the same time, the French official noted that Russian law had no impact on sales of French products.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Sergey Levin said earlier in a meeting with French Agriculture Minister Juliene Denormandie that Moscow was “open to further discussions and ready to provide expert advice to the request of his French counterparts to consider cooperation in this sector “. Denormandie said in a Twitter post that the agriculture ministries of France and Russia have come to an agreement on ways to resolve the champagne problem.

On July 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law previously passed by the State Duma and approved by the Federation Council, which defines the specifics of production and turnover of wine products in Russia. The amendments stipulate, inter alia, that “the use of the geographical indication and the place of origin of the goods for winemaking purposes shall be carried out within the framework of the Russian national system” in accordance with the legislation on viticulture and winemaking. At the same time, the 1995 Law on the State Regulation of Turnover of Alcoholic Beverages was amended, by which the words “sparkling wine (champagne)” were replaced by “sparkling wine, including Russian champagne ”. The law also defines other details of the production and distribution of wine products in order to establish clear rules for the operation of the industry.