EU Let Wine Industry Write Its Own Rules But Civil Society Is Taking Action to Put Common Good First

Brussels, 29 April 2026 – A coalition of 19 public health organisations has filed a complaint with the European Ombudsman, raising concerns that the European Commission allowed alcohol industry interests to play a central role in shaping new EU wine policy, without sufficient safeguards to ensure evidence-based decision-making. The coalition brings together health, patient and civil society groups from across the continent.

The complaint concerns the EU Wine Package (COM(2025) 137 final) and the coalition argues that decisions with clear implications for public health were taken without a full assessment of their impacts and without broad input from independent experts and the public.

Documents obtained from the Commission show that alcohol industry representatives were closely involved in shaping the policy, while opportunities for wider input were limited. As a result, key perspectives – including public health – were not adequately reflected in the process.

The Commission also chose not to carry out a full assessment of the policy’s impacts, reducing the transparency and robustness of the decision making process.

This is about ensuring that decisions affecting people’s health are taken in a transparent and democratic  way,” said Peter Rice, President of the European Alcohol Policy Alliance (Eurocare).

Public policies should reflect the public interest and be informed by evidence – not shaped by a narrow set of industry interests.”

Peter Rice, President, European Alcohol Policy Alliance (Eurocare)

The case comes as the European Commission moves to simplify EU rules and speed up decision-making. The coalition warns that this direction risks degrading safeguards that ensure policies are based on evidence and open to public input.

The complaint is supported by organisations from across Europe working on public health, consumer protection and alcohol policy.

Notes to the editor

The ad-hoc civil society coalition has filed a complaint to the European Ombudsman. The complaint concerns the European Commission’s departure from core Better Regulation principles, by not conducting an impact assessment and by omitting a public consultation process, the lack of adequate stakeholder engagement, and the risk of undue alcohol industry influence in relation to the preparation and adoption of the package.

The documents obtained from the European Commission raise a number of concerns, because they reveal that:

• A call for evidence or public consultation was deliberately avoided (see for example p. 3),
• An impact assessment (on for example public health effects, or socio-ecoomic consequences) was deliberately set aside due to “the urgency” of the matter (p. 44-45),
• The process was driven by the expectations of “stakeholders, Member States and MEPs”, especially “wine producing Member States” (p. 44), rather than by the public good, and
• There was close engagement between the EU Commission and wine industry representatives before the process started (p. 354-380).

Signatories

1. Addiction France;
2. Alcohol Action Ireland;
3. Eurocare Italia;
4. European Alcohol Policy Alliance (Eurocare);
5. European Liver Patients’ Association (ELPA);
6. Guttempler in Deutschland;
7. Finnish Association for Substance Abuse Prevention (EHYT);
8. Health and Community Foundation – Spain;
9. Healthy Generation;
10. Lithuanian Tobacco and Alcohol Control Coalition;
11. Movendi International;
12. Movendi Slovakia;
13. Movendi Sweden;
14. Nordic Alcohol and Drug Policy Network (NordAN);
15. Norwegian Policy Network on Alcohol and Drugs (Actis);
16. Slovenian NCD Alliance;
17. Dutch Institute for Alcohol Policy STAP;
18. Support and Prevention Center “For Your Freedom”;
19. Univers santé.