Bulletin UASVM Horticulture, 66(1)/2009 Print ISSN 1843-5254; Electronic ISSN 1843-5394

Romanian Growing Sector in the Context of European Integration, Competitive and Sustainable Development

Dorin POPA

Faculty of Enviromental Protection, University of Oradea,1 Timotei Cipariu St., Oradea, ; [email protected]

Abstract. By the adopted market mechanisms, by the various forms of national support, Romanian wine sector wants to continue to be compatible as organizing and efficiency with existing wine structures within the Member countries of the European Union, and Romanian wine production to cope with European and world competitiveness based on competition principles and quality. The Romanian wine growing surface is divided into 8 wine growing areas, bounded by the national legislation up to the level of territorial administrative locality and only here is permitted to continue setting up of , with those varieties named for each wine region. Romania’s wine growing area provides of fine quality and taking advantage of the potential of its many particularly valuable indigenous varieties, most of them at a level of quality and competitiveness suitable to varieties worldwide acknowledged, Romania wants to take its wine sector to an upper level. The development strategy of the indigenous varieties sector constitutes a main goal, a safe way to promote Romanian wine on third markets. Also, as a EU member country, Romanian wine growing sector benefits from the specific CMO of wine market measures, a priority for the current situation of the Romanian wine growing sector being vineyards restructuring/conversion.

Keywords: wine-growing , restructuring, development, integration, adjustment

INTRODUCTION

Romania, as a wine growing country, a member of OIV since 1927, holding important areas cultivated with vines that are the subject of Common Market Organization of the wine sector, remains consistent to the fundamental objective of continue development and modernization of the national wine growing sector.

ROMANIAN WINE: PRESENT AND PERSPECTIVES

Taking advantage of a special potential, Romanian wine sector, in all its complexity and importance, took over the acquis communautaire, joining the big family of the community . The Romanian wine growing surface is divided into 8 wine growing areas, bounded by the national legislation up to the level of territorial administrative locality and only here is permitted to continue setting up of vineyards, with those varieties named for each wine region. These 8 wine growing regions are according to European wine growing regions B, C1a şi CII, as follows: - wine growing region B: Transylvania; - wine growing region C1a: Hills, Oltenia Hills, Hills, Crisana Hills, Maramures Hills; - wine growing region CII : Muntenia Hills, Dobrudja Hills and Terraces.

341 Romanian wine growing sector goals: - promoting in culture indigenous varieties; - increasing the share of red and flavored wines; - sustain a rate of new 3.500 vineyards each year; - promoting moderate wine consumption; - consolidating associations of small and medium-sized manufacturers; - developing partnership relations with professional organizations of sector; - strengthen Romanian wine heritage and increase areas cultivated with varieties meant for obtaining wines having denomination of controlled origin. As for the year 2008, the national viticulture heritage is presented as follows: - 179 thousand ha: fruit-bearing vines; - 94.9 thousand ha: noble fruit-bearing vines; - 84.2 thousand ha: noble vines for wine grapes; - 10.7 thousand ha: noble vines for table grapes; - 92 thousand ha: hybrid fruit-bearing vines.

10.7 thousand ha Noble vines For table grapes

92.0 thousand ha Hybrid vines 84.2 thousand ha Noble vines for wine grapes

Fig. 1.

The total output of wine for 2008 was 5369.2 thousand hl of wine, out of which the production of noble wine was 3139.3 thousand hl and the hybrid wine production was 2229.9 thousand hl. Romania is one of the 15 wine producers worldwide, the sixth European grape producer after Italy, France, Spain, Germany and Greece, as well as the sixth European wine producer after France, Italy, Spain, Germany and Portugal. Wine making production is in average of 1022 thousand tons of grapes, resulting approximately 5369.2 thousand hl wine. In terms of export wine, this was approximately 140.07 thousand hl in 2008, the import being 384.30 thousand hl.

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450% 384.30 thousand hl 400% import wine 350% 300% 250%

200% 140.07 thousand hl export wine 150% 100% 50% 0% 1

Fig. 2.

ROMANIAN WINE VARIETIES

Romania has many particularly valuable indigenous varieties, most of them at a level of quality and competitiveness suitable to varieties worldwide acknowledged. The development strategy of the indigenous varieties sector constitutes a main goal, a safe way to promote Romanian wine on third markets. Viticulture contains worldwide varieties, as well as indigenous ones. - indigenous varieties: Feteasca Alba, Feteasca Regala, Grasa de , Tamaioasa Romaneasca, Busuioaca de Bohotin, Feteasca Neagra, Burgund Mare, Negru de Dragasani, Novac, Sarba, Francusa, Cramposie etc.; - world varieties: , , Italian , Sauvignon, , , , Ottonel, Aligoté etc.

CONCLUSIONS

As a EU member country, Romanian wine growing sector also benefits from the specific CMO of wine market measures, a priority for the current situation of the Romanian wine growing sector being vineyards restructuring/conversion. Moreover, vineyards restructuring and conversion were implemented in the wine growing practice and will be presented in short: the legislative background, programs content and results of accessing these programs by wine growers. In accordance with provisions of Regulation 479/2008 of the COUNCIL regarding the wine growing common market organization of amending Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999, Regulation (EC) No 1782/2003, Regulation (EC) No 1290/2005 and Regulation (EC) No 3/2008 and repealing Regulation (EEC) No 2392/86 and Regulation (EC) No 1493/1999, and REGULATION (EC) No 555/2008 of the COMISSION laying down rules for implementing Regulation (EC) No 479/2008 of the Council on the common organization of the wine market regarding support programs, trade with third countries, the production potential and on checks of the production potential in the wine growing sector, it has been adopted the Order of forestry agriculture and rural development minister No 247/2008 to approve rules for the

343 implementation of the vineyards restructuring/conversion programs conducted with Community support for 2008-2009 and 2013-2014 wine growing campaigns. The order provides, among others, restructuring/conversion programs that can be accessed by owners, conditions to be met by applicants for financial support, types of vineyards eligible for the implementation of the restructuring/conversion programs and deadlines for completion of programs. In order to adapt production to market requirements, wine growers can apply a series of measures aimed at varieties conversion varieties as well as replacing plots situated in adverse pedoclimatic conditions on other sites more auspicious. Follow-up implementation of the restructuring/conversion programs, over an area of 4205 ha during 2007-2008 campaign, the financial assistance allocated was over 35 million euros. Currently, for the year 2009 have been paid for the vineyards restructuring/conversion 6.383.339 Euro, for 1104 ha. As a result of the debates from the Council of Ministers, agriculture ministers from Member States of the European Union have reached, on 17-19 December 2007, a political agreement on the reorganization of the wine growing common market. Politics in this field should be wider oriented towards market and to be thought on a longer-term, respecting free market principles. Wine growing producers may, with support from the European Union, to carry on programs in the fields of environment, quality, biological production, energy saving, marketing, promotion in third markets and innovation products. In order to make these activities more effective, Member States must establish eligible measures under the support program 2009-2013. Thus, by Resolution No 1228/2008 regarding the way to grant Community financial support to wine growers, eligible measures for the financial support granting are: (a) Promoting on third markets; (b) Restructuring and conversion of vineyards; (c) Insure ; (d) Using concentrated grape juice; (e) Investments; (f) Grubbing bonus. The annual amount of the Community financial support for the above mentioned measures for Romania is 42.1 million euros in the period 2009-2013. Each year, on March 1 and June 30, Romania reports to the Commission the means to carry out the measures of the support program, backing possibility to change it, by transferring the amounts from one measure to another (in case the financial allowance is not achieved on a measure/measures or is exceeded on other measure/measures).

REFERENCES

1. Consiliul director ONIV (Romanian), (2009, martie). Obiectivele sectorului vitivinicol românesc în strategia de dezvoltare pentru 2009-2013, (Romanian), ONIV Board Council „Objectives of Romanian wine growing sector for the 2009-2013 development strategy”, March, 2009 ; 2. ***Regulamentul 479/2008 al Consiliului Europei privind organizarea comună a pieţei vitivinicole (Romanian), Regulation 479/2008 of European Council regarding wine growing common market organization; 3. ***Asociaţia Producătorilor şi Exportatorilor de vin din România, (2009, martie). Raport privind producţia şi exportul de vin şi produse vitivinicole pentru anul 2008 (Romanian), Romanian wine exporters and producers Association, „Report regarding production, wine and wine products export for the year 2008”, March, 2009; 4. ***Ordinul MAPDR nr. 247/2008 pentru aprobarea programelor de restructurare/reconversie 2008/2009 – 2013/2014 (Romanian), MAPDR Order no. 247/2008 regarding approvement of restructuring/conversion for 2008/2009 – 2013/2014 period.

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