PARIS, September 23. /TASS/. France expects that Russia will soon impose a moratorium on the provision of its federal law on viticulture and winemaking regulating the use of regional names for sparkling wines, French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness Franck Riester stated on Thursday.
"We have been negotiating with the Russian authorities in a positive and constructive manner for several weeks now. I hope that soon - in the coming hours or days - we will receive good news about the establishment of a moratorium on the law," he told the France 2 TV channel. The French Minister Delegate stressed that the protection of appellations of origin is an issue of great importance for France.
"Champagne is France’s achievement and the Champagne region in particular," he emphasized. Meanwhile, the French official noted that the Russian law had no impact on sales of French products.
Deputy Agriculture Minister Sergey Levin stated earlier at a meeting with French Agriculture Minister Juliene Denormandie that Moscow is "open to further discussions and ready to provide expert advice at the request of its French counterparts to look into cooperation in this sector." Denormandie said in a Twitter post that the Agriculture Ministries of France and Russia had reached an agreement on ways to resolve the champagne issue.
On July 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law previously adopted by the State Duma and approved by the Federation Council, which defines the specifics of the production and turnover of wine products in Russia. The amendments, in particular, state that "the use of the geographical indication and the place of origin of the goods for winemaking purposes shall be carried out within the framework of the Russian national system" in accordance with the legislation on viticulture and winemaking. At the same time, the 1995 law on state regulation of alcoholic drinks turnover was amended, whereby the words "sparkling wine (champagne)" were replaced by "sparkling wine, including Russian champagne." The law also defines other details of the production and distribution of wine products to establish clear rules for the functioning of the industry.