Council Decision (EU) 2026/2344 of 13 October 2026 establishing the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union with regard to certain resolutions to be voted at the 24th General Assembly of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 43, in conjunction with Article 218(9), thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Whereas:

• (1) The International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) will examine and possibly adopt resolutions (the ‘draft OIV resolutions’) at its next General Assembly to be held on 16 October 2026. The draft OIV resolutions, if adopted, will produce legal effects for the Union within the meaning of Article 218(9) of the Treaty.

• (2) The Union is not a member of the OIV. However, on 20 October 2017, the OIV granted to the Union the particular status provided for in Article 4 of the Rules of Procedure of the OIV.

• (3) 20 Member States of the Union are members of the OIV. It is possible for those Member States to propose amendments to the draft OIV resolutions, and they will be asked to adopt the draft OIV resolutions at the next OIV General Assembly.

• (4) Pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council ¹ and Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/934 ², certain resolutions adopted and published by the OIV will produce legal effects for the Union.

• (5) Article 80(3), point (a), of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 provides that the Commission, when authorising oenological practices, is to take into account the oenological practices and methods of analysis recommended and published by the OIV.

• (6) Article 80(5) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 provides that the Commission, when laying down methods of analysis for determining the composition of the products of the wine sector, is to base those methods on any relevant methods recommended and published by the OIV unless they would be ineffective or inappropriate in view of the objective pursued by the Union.

• (7) Article 90(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 provides that products of the wine sector imported into the Union are to be produced in accordance with oenological practices authorised by the Union pursuant to that Regulation or, prior to that authorisation, in accordance with oenological practices recommended and published by the OIV.

• (8) Article 9(1) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/934 provides that, where the purity and identification specifications of substances used in oenological practices are not laid down by the Commission, those specifications are to be the specifications referred to in column 4 of Table 2 of Part A of Annex I to that Regulation, which refer to OIV recommendations.

• (9) Draft resolutions OENO-MICRO 20-669A and OENO-MICRO 20-669B propose to expand the application of pulsed electric fields, currently allowed for grapes, to must and wine, respectively, for microbiological stabilisation. Draft resolution OENO-TECHNO 14-540B establishes specific oenological practices for partially de-alcoholised wines. Draft resolutions OENO-TECHNO 23-734 and OENO-TECHNO 23-735 propose to extend the treatment with styrene-divinylbenzene adsorbent beads for white must and white wine, respectively, to the removal of oxidised and oxidisable polyphenolic compounds responsible for browning. Draft resolution OENO-TECHNO 14-544 proposes the addition of dimethyl polysiloxane during alcoholic fermentation of must to prevent the formation of foam. Draft resolution OENO-TECHNO 20-672A proposes the use of functionalised mesoporous silica in must in order to remove unstable proteins in a selective way. Draft resolution OENO-TECHNO 21-706 updates the treatment of wines with yeast mannoproteins by defining the objectives for white and rosé wines and its maximum dose. Draft resolution OENO-TECHNO 23-730 increases the acceptable limit of sorbic acid concentration in wine from 200 to 250 mg/L specifically for Vitis labrusca and their hybrids and for special qualitative factors or traditions specific to certain countries, as established by national legislation. Draft resolution OENO-TECHNO 25-761 updates file 3.4.21 on malolactic fermentation activator by specifying the nature of the cellulose activator. In accordance with Article 80(3), point (a), of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 and Article 9(1) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/934, those resolutions, if adopted, will produce legal effects.

• (10) Draft resolution OENO-SPECIF 21-695 adds the monograph on chelating resins of styrene-divinylbenzeneith iminodiacetic functional group to the International Oenological Codex, and draft resolution OENO-SPECIF 23-727 updates the monograph of citric acid, mainly by distinguishing the two forms monohydrate and anhydrous. In accordance with Article 9 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/934, those resolutions, if adopted, will produce legal effects.

• (11) Draft resolution OENO-SCMA 24-754 proposes to add a methodology for the determination of strontium isotopic ratio (87Sr/86Sr) in wines to the Compendium of International Methods of Wine and Must Analysis. In accordance with Article 80(5) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, that resolution, if adopted, will produce legal effects.

• (12) Draft resolution SECSAN-SECUAL 23-722 updates the classification of oenological tannins by defining the cases in which they can be considered as additive or as processing aid. In accordance with Article 80(3), point (a), of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 and with Article 9 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/934, that resolution, if adopted, will produce legal effects.

• (13) The draft OIV resolutions, which have been extensively discussed by scientific and technical experts of the wine sector, are expected to contribute to the international harmonisation of wine standards and to establish a framework which will ensure fair competition in the trade of products of the wine sector. Those draft OIV resolutions should therefore be supported.

• (14) Another draft resolution producing, if adopted, legal effects on Union law in accordance with Article 80(3), point (a), of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 to be submitted for adoption by the General Assembly, is draft resolution OENO-TECHNO 14-540A. That draft resolution lists oenological practices allowed for the production of de-alcoholised wine. With regard to the treatment ‘6.34 Addition of glycerol’, that draft resolution recommends that the total concentration of glycerol in the de-alcoholised wine does not exceed 50 g/L. The European Food Safety Authority recently published a scientific opinion on the safety of acute exposure to the food additive glycerol (E 422) from beverages, including de-alcoholised wines. That opinion concludes that a concentration of 50 g/L in de-alcoholised wines would exceed the acute reference dose (ARfD) in all population groups. That opinion also indicates, for different population groups, the theoretical maximum concentrations of total glycerol (E 422) in de-alcoholised wine at which exposure does not exceed the ARfD together with the corresponding volumes of de-alcoholised wine consumed on a single occasion. In light of those findings and before establishing any maximum level of glycerol in draft resolution OENO-TECHNO 14-540A, there is a need for an additional comprehensive assessment based on experimental data, covering the identification of the method of analysis, the relation with the initial presence of glycerol in the product, the impact of the de-alcoholisation process on its concentration, the minimum level of exogenous glycerol in relation to its technological function and the definition of an appropriate risk management strategy. Draft resolution OENO-TECHNO 14-540A should therefore be supported only if the specific treatment ‘6.34 Addition of glycerol’ is removed from that resolution, in order to allow for the comprehensive scientific assessment mentioned above.

• (15) In order to allow for the necessary flexibility during the negotiations ahead of the OIV General Assembly to be held on 16 October 2026, Member States which are members of the OIV should be authorised to agree to technical changes to the draft OIV resolutions provided that such changes do not alter the substance thereof.

• (16) It is therefore appropriate to establish the position to be taken on the Union’s behalf at the OIV meetings with regard to the draft OIV resolutions in relation to matters within its competence. That position should be expressed by the Member States that are members of the OIV, acting jointly, in the interest of the Union,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

The position to be taken on the Union’s behalf at the 24th General Assembly of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) is set out in the Annex to this Decision.

Article 2

The position referred to in Article 1 shall be expressed by the Member States of the Union which are Members of the OIV, acting jointly, in the interest of the Union.

Article 3

Article 4

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

Done at Luxembourg, 13 October 2026.

For the Council

The President

T. BYRNE

ANNEX

The Member States of the Union that are Members of the International Organisation for Vine and Wine (OIV) acting jointly on behalf of the Union, and subject to any future review on the basis of new developments, shall support the following draft resolutions at step 7 during the OIV General Assembly scheduled for 16 October 2026:

• — OENO-MICRO 20-669A: Microbiological stabilization of must by pulsed electric fields (PEF),

• — OENO-MICRO 20-669B: Microbiological stabilization of wines by pulsed electric fields (PEF),

• — OENO-TECHNO 14-540B: Specific oenological practices for partially de-alcoholised wine, subject to the understanding that the section on ‘Sweetening’ and in particular the Definition ‘Addition of sweeteners to de-alcoholised wine’ should be interpreted as limited to the products listed in ‘Prescription’,

• — OENO-TECHNO 14-544: Treatment with polydimethylsiloxane – update of the international code of oenological practices,

• — OENO-TECHNO 20-672A: Treatment with a functionalised mesoporous silica (FMS) for the protein stabilisation of musts,

• — OENO-TECHNO 21-706: Update to file 3.3.13 ‘Treatment of wines with yeast mannoproteins’,

• — OENO-TECHNO 23-730: Limit of sorbic acid in wine,

• — OENO-TECHNO 23-734: Treatment of white must with adsorbent styrene-divinylbenzene beads to eliminate polyphenolic compounds responsible for browning,

• — OENO-TECHNO 23-735: Treatment of white wine with adsorbent styrene-divinylbenzene beads to eliminate polyphenolic compounds responsible for browning,

• — OENO-TECHNO 25-761: Update to file 3.4.21 ‘Malolactic fermentation activators’,

• — OENO-SPECIF 21-695: Monograph on chelating resins of styrene-divinylbenzene with iminodiacetic functional group,

• — OENO-SPECIF 23-727: Update of monograph of citric acid,

• — OENO-SCMA 24-754: Analytical method for the determination of strontium isotopic ratio (87Sr/86Sr) in wines (Method type IV),

• — SECSAN-SECUAL 23-722: Update of the classification of oenological tannins as additive or processing aid.

The Member States of the Union that are Members of the International Organisation for Vine and Wine (OIV) acting jointly on behalf of the Union, and subject to any future review on the basis of new developments, shall support the following draft resolution at step 7 during the OIV General Assembly scheduled for 16 October 2026 only if the expressed condition is met:

• — OENO-TECHNO 14-540A: the specific treatment ‘6.34 Addition of glycerol’ is removed from the text of the resolution.

ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2026/2344/oj

ISSN 1977-0677 (electronic edition)