France has obtained from Russia a two-month moratorium on the implementation of the recent Russian law preventing champagne from using its own name in the Cyrillic alphabet, the Minister for Foreign Trade announced to AFP on Tuesday (October 26th). , Franck Riester.
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"
France has obtained from Russia the entry into force today of a moratorium on the implementation of the Russian wine law until December 31,
" said the minister in a written statement. "
This does not solve everything, and we are determined to move the issue forward definitively during this opening period of work
," he added. “
We remain fully mobilized to protect our exporters, defend our geographical indications and promote our agricultural excellence,
” continued Franck Riester.
Since July 2, a modification of the Russian law on the trade of alcoholic products obliges the distributors of champagne to exchange the prestigious title of "
champagne
" for that of "
sparkling wine
" on the back-label of the bottles written in Cyrillic, reserving the name "
Champanskoye
" to Russian producers of sparkling wines. This provision of the law aroused this summer a strong indignation of producers and distributors of champagne, anxious to protect their protected designation of origin, as well as the strong protests of several French ministers.
The Interprofessional Committee of Champagne Wine (CIVC), which had advised producers in early July to temporarily suspend their exports to Russia, in reaction to this new provision of the law, ruled on September 11 for the resumption of shipments to Russia from September 15, in a gesture of appeasement.
Russia is, along with the United States and Haiti, one of the states not to recognize the “
champagne
”
designation of origin (AOC)
despite twenty years of discussions.