AREV applauds the decision of the MEPs not to vote on the BECA report without first trying to amend it to avoid the confusion it currently contains, which does not differentiate between responsible and moderate wine consumption and alcohol abuse. The European Parliament will examine the report of the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA) on Tuesday 15 February in a plenary session.
AREV welcomes the fact that a sufficient number of MEPs have supported the introduction of this debate, prompted by the proposed amendment by Herbert Dorfmann MEP, and that it has been brought to the attention of the European Parliament as a whole. The approval of this BECA report, without this amendment, could have very negative consequences for the wine sector, its production, and consumption and for all the economic, social, and cultural ancestral roots of the European regions and the Mediterranean Diet, recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The AREV strongly supports the implementation of actions to combat cancer but considers that the notion of responsible consumption must be at the heart of prevention policies and the fight against excessive consumption and that this must be the objective of all. The AREV trusts that this body will apply a criterion of evaluation and a transversal vision of the impact of this report for the debate and decision-making, seeking a balanced position between all the interests and actors involved. After this first step of debate, it will be necessary for the amendment to be voted on in the plenary.