balkan insight
08 Nov 2010 / 09:12
Athens is obstructing sales of Macedonian wine in key German and Slovene markets, the Ministry of Agriculture claims.
Sinisa Jakov Marusic
Skopje
Macedonia's Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Perica Ivanovski, told Balkan Insight that a Greek blockade of wine sales in the EU "could results in millions of euros in damages for our wine producers".
Ivanovski said Greek diplomats in Slovenia and Germany, two key EU markets, recently launched a campaign to stop imports of wine that either named Macedonia as the country of origin, or had a label derived from the word "Macedonia".
Ivanovski said Greek diplomats in Slovenia and Germany, two key EU markets, recently launched a campaign to stop imports of wine that either named Macedonia as the country of origin, or had a label derived from the word "Macedonia".
"Brands named 'Macedonian Red' or 'Macedonian White' that have been present in Slovenia and Germany for over 40 years are under threat," Ivanovski said.
He maintained that Greek lobbyists were threatening Slovenian and German importers with lawsuits because Greece had copyrighted the brand name "Macedonia" in 1989, two years before the former Yugoslav republic gained independence.
The deputy minister claimed that Greece was deliberately targeting countries where Macedonian wine sales were highest at a time when efforts were culminating to solve the long-standing dispute between the two countries over the country's name.
Germans consume by far the largest share of Macedonian wine exports to the EU. Of Macedonia's 16.5 million euro of wine exports in 2009, Germany bought 14 million euro. Slovenia is Macedonia's fourth-largest wine market in the EU.
Macedonia and Greece have been locked for almost two decades in a spat over use of the name "Macedonia".
Germans consume by far the largest share of Macedonian wine exports to the EU. Of Macedonia's 16.5 million euro of wine exports in 2009, Germany bought 14 million euro. Slovenia is Macedonia's fourth-largest wine market in the EU.
Macedonia and Greece have been locked for almost two decades in a spat over use of the name "Macedonia".
Athens has already blocked Macedonia's bid to enter NATO and EU under its official name "Republic of Macedonia", arguing that use of the name implies a territorial claim to its own northern province, also called Macedonia.
With the exception of the Greek trade embargo of the early 1990s, “This is the first time that the name dispute has translated directly into the real economy," Ivanovski said.
The deputy minister said Macedonia would seek justice from the EU and would insist on signing a so-called wine protocol with the EU that would allow both countries to use the name Macedonia.
balkan insight
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