European wine groups press Brussels for a single excise portal for cross-border sales

European wine producers and trade groups are stepping up their push for a single EU system to pay excise duties on cross-border sales to private consumers, arguing that the current process is so cumbersome it blocks legal online and direct sales inside the bloc.

The campaign, led in France by the Independent Winegrowers and backed by other national and European wine organizations, focuses on a narrow but persistent problem: when a winery in one EU country wants to ship wine directly to a consumer in another member state, the producer must comply with the excise rules of the destination country. The tax itself is not the main complaint. Producers say the burden comes from the paperwork and the need to navigate separate national systems for each shipment.

Under the current setup described by industry groups, a winery selling to a customer in another EU country may need to issue a pro forma invoice so the buyer can obtain proof from local tax authorities that the excise duty has been secured. That document must then be returned to the producer before the wine can be shipped legally. After delivery, the customer may need to go back to the tax administration to obtain a release document and send it to the winery. Producers say the process can also involve other country-specific levies, including packaging charges in some markets.

For many small orders, wine groups say, that administrative burden makes the sale impractical. Another route is to use a fiscal representative in the destination country, often through a logistics provider, but that adds cost. In a February 2024 letter to the French Economy and Agriculture ministries, lawmaker Hubert Ott estimated the extra cost at 4.16 euros per bottle.

Industry representatives say the effect is especially visible in direct sales, wine tourism and e-commerce. A European visitor who buys wine at a French estate often cannot easily reorder it once back home, even if the producer wants to comply with local tax rules. Trade groups also say many wineries have held back from developing cross-border online sales because the cost of handling excise formalities can erase the margin on small shipments.

That matters beyond a tax procedure. A simpler system could reduce barriers and costs for direct cross-border alcohol sales, a potential benefit especially for small and midsize wineries that do not have the scale to rely on importers in every EU market. Producers see it as a way to preserve higher-margin sales to individual consumers at a time when export growth has slowed in some outside markets.

The French wine sector says its position has become more coordinated in recent years. The Independent Winegrowers, the Cnaoc, the umbrella body UMVin and the interprofessional group Cniv are all backing the proposal. At the European level, the European Federation of Origin Wines and the Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins, or CEEV, are also supporting the idea.

Jean-Marie Fabre, national president of the Independent Winegrowers, told Réussir that his group has been pressing for such a mechanism since 2007. He said the aim is not to avoid paying excise duties or to harmonize national tax rates, but to create a platform similar to the EU’s VAT one-stop shop where producers could file the required electronic administrative document, obtain a number authorizing legal shipment and pay the tax directly.

Wine groups point to the VAT one-stop shop introduced in July 2021 as proof that a centralized digital approach can work. They argue that an excise version would be technically manageable because parts of the necessary infrastructure already exist, including the EU’s Excise Movement and Control System, known as EMCS, and administrative data-sharing networks between member states.

The wine sector also argues that the current complexity can encourage workarounds that sit outside the spirit of the rules. Some producers may be tempted to mail bottles without fully complying, exposing themselves to fines. Others may send orders to pickup points near borders so customers can collect them, a practice the industry says is inefficient and unsatisfactory.

Supporters of the reform say it would not replace importers, wholesalers or specialty retailers. Instead, they argue, it would let producers serve consumers who cannot find a specific bottle locally or who want labels outside the range carried by merchants in their country. For wineries already present in foreign retail channels with only a few products, direct shipping could fill those gaps.

The political case has gained ground in Brussels and Paris, according to industry officials, but the proposal still faces resistance. Some member states remain cautious because they fear losing control over excise collection or worry that easier cross-border alcohol sales could raise public health concerns. EU tax matters also require unanimity among member states, a high bar for any reform.

Raphaël Fattier, director of the Cnaoc, told the publication that the larger obstacle now appears political more than technical. Ignacio Sánchez Recarte, secretary general of CEEV, said some governments still believe the cost-benefit balance would not justify the change. He pointed, however, to a 2020 study that found a simplified system could generate administrative and economic gains for both operators and member states after the initial setup costs.

Excise rates themselves vary widely across the bloc. EU rules set the minimum rate for wine at zero euros per hectoliter, leaving each member state free to set its own level. According to the figures cited by Réussir, nine countries apply no excise duty on wine at all, including Italy, Spain and Portugal. Seven others levy no duty on still wine but do tax sparkling wine. France is among the countries with very low rates, at 0.03 euro per bottle for still wine and 0.08 euro for sparkling wine.

The burden is much higher in some northern markets. Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, the Baltic states and Denmark apply duties ranging from roughly 0.30 euro to 1.80 euros per bottle, according to the report. Sweden and Finland are around 3 euros per bottle, while Ireland has one of the highest levels, at 3.19 euros for a bottle of still wine and about twice that for sparkling wine.

That patchwork of rates is not what wine producers are trying to change. Their demand is centered on how the tax is declared and paid when a bottle crosses an internal EU border in a sale to a private customer.

The timeline remains uncertain. Fabre said he hoped the file could be settled by the end of 2026 and take effect in early 2027. Fattier offered a more cautious view, saying the European Commission has indicated that a legislative proposal is being prepared for negotiations that would begin in early 2027, after which progress would depend on whether member states can reach agreement.

CEEV is preparing for a longer process. The group said it is waiting for the results of a Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union study on excise simplification expected in November. Given the time needed for legislation and for building the information system, the trade body said an implementation date starting in 2029 would already be a positive outcome.

For wineries, the dispute has become a symbol of how incomplete the EU single market can still be for alcohol sold directly to consumers. Industry groups say that, under the current rules, sending a full container overseas can sometimes be easier than legally shipping a single bottle to a buyer in another EU country.