site.btaBulgaria to Host Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in 2025

In 2025 Bulgaria will host one of the most prestigious independent wine competitions in the world, Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, which will take place in Burgas (on the Black Sea), the Agriculture and Food Ministry said here on Thursday. Earlier in the day, Deputy Agriculture Minister Deyan Stratev and Krasimir Koev, head of the Executive Agency on Vine and Wine, held a meeting with the organizers of the competition. 

In 2016, Bulgaria first hosted the event, which brought together oenologists, sommeliers, wine journalists and wine importers from over 50 countries. 

Stratev and Koev took part in the first meeting of the High-Level Group on Wine Policy held in Brussels on September 11, where challenges and opportunities for the sector were discussed. The group was formed by the European Commission at the request of the EU wine sector. 

During the meeting, the Deputy Minister made proposals to address the current challenges and promote the sustainable development of the EU wine sector. He stressed the need of  a comprehensive review of the new realities arising from the European Green Deal, and emphasized the importance of technology and agronomy. Stratev stressed that easier access to innovation would allow a more sustainable development of the sector. In addition, the Deputy Minister noted the need to improve working conditions, provide access to training, and promote the exchange of best practices.

"The sector also needs easing the administrative burden at EU level and clear mechanisms to adapt wine products to new consumer expectations," Stratev said, adding that the crisis mechanisms require more flexibility. The Deputy Minister specified that the main challenges facing the wine sector in Bulgaria increasingly stem from climate change, which lead to significant economic losses. In his words, the structural specificities of the sector in Bulgaria and the steadily rising production costs limit the competitiveness of the grapes and wine produced in the country.

The meeting also discussed policy measures for adaptation to market trends and tapping of the new market opportunities for the EU wine sector.