EU exports of wine and spirits each amounted to more than €25 billion in 2021. The EU recognises the international success of your products and uses its trade policy to create new commercial opportunities for you.

Firstly, EU free trade agreements with other countries improve your access to foreign markets by lowering or eliminating import duties, quotas and other trade barriers. This makes it easier for you to sell your products to consumers outside the EU, leading to higher sales and increased turnover.

Secondly, many of the EU's trade agreements award special legal protection to European products with qualities linked to where they are made. These are known as geographical indications, examples being Champagne, Franken Wine, Polish Vodka, Irish Whiskey, Ouzo and Rioja. Many European wines and spirits are also protected under both EU free trade agreements and specific bilateral agreements. If your products are covered by this protection, it means foreign producers in the partner country cannot imitate them, benefiting your exports to those markets.

The EU has already concluded bilateral agreements that specifically protect European wines and spirits in other countries, including with Chile, Colombia, South Africa, South Korea, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Recent EU free trade agreements with Canada, Latin America (MERCOSUR) and Vietnam also protect your products and make it easier for you to export to those countries. Finally, the EU is working hard to ensure that future EU free trade agreements will benefit you in similar ways.