Spirits are Europe’s ‘most valuable’ agricultural export

New data has revealed that European spirits are the region’s ‘most valuable’ agricultural exports, prompting a leading trade body to call for politicians to prioritise the industry.

European spirits exports are the “most valuable” agricultural export for the region

According to new Eurostat data cited in sector report Spirits: a European Power House for Trade, over the decade to 2013, European spirits exports have doubled to €10 billion. In 2013 alone, European spirits are said to have contributed a net trade balance of €8.6bn to the European Union.

According to the report, the USA is the largest export market for European spirits, and South East Asia the fastest growing region.

Trade body SpiritsEurope has therefore called on the new European Commission and European Parliament to support the continued success of the sector by putting trade firmly at the top of their agenda in the next five years.

“Local spirits are flying the European flag abroad,” said Paul Skehan, director general of SpiritsEurope, “but we can achieve so much more.

“Trade needs to top the EU agenda. This is not a selfish request but a win-win proposal for Europe.”

The group emphasized that more than 55% of the price paid for a bottle of spirits is tax, generating about €21bn for EU exchequers last year.

It also said that spirits exports generate investment and employment in Europe, with 20 new distilleries currently being built and more investment in bottling plants.

SpiritsEurope is calling for the “elimination of high import tariffs” and for the region’s “discriminatory” tax policy, and “insufficient” intellectual property protection to be addressed by the EU.