OREANDA-NEWS.  September 26, 2012. Moldovan wine-makers are seeking the amendment of the normative base in the viticulture field. A report containing proposals for enhancing the situation in this field has been prepared within the framework of the Competitiveness Enhancement and Enterprise Development II (CEED II) implemented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Moldova.

Diana Lazar, manager in winemaking industry within the CEED II project said in an interview with the newspaper Capital Market that the Moldovan viticulture is on the road to serious changes.

"A rebound in this sector is needed in order to promote the produce on the market and to seek new opportunities. To this end, we should ensure a friendly business environment and modern conditions, equal for all the participants. We should also create competitive produce that would meet the requirements of international market and take care of the sustainable development of this field," she said.

In her words, this reform would also imply amendments to the normative framework in the wine-making field.

"The normative basis for wines should be separated from the one for strong alcoholic beverages, which bear a more industrial character," said the manager.

She also said that wines in European countries and all over the world are regarded as food products that need a special legislative framework, more flexible in comparison with the one for the beverages that undergo shorter technological processes.

"So far, the emphasis has been laid on the control of wine-making enterprises. From now on, we should focus on the control of the produce, on the basis of clear-cut requirements, established by law," said Lazar.

The draft law envisaged in the report has been submitted to the Parliament for consideration. In her words, companies operating in the wine-making and vine-growing fields are expecting the adoption of this draft law, in order to start its implementation, as soon as possible. The draft law provides for the creation of the National Wine and Vine Office – a modern model worked out after studying the experience of the leading 15 wine-making countries in the world. This office will deal with the introduction and promotion of the Moldovan wines on foreign markets.