Brussels Wants To Define Cider, But Not Everyone Likes The Recipe

By Sofia Sanchez Manzanaro

(EurActiv) -- The EU is testing the waters with new proposals on what can legally be called cider, as Brussels prepares a fresh rulebook for the iconic apple drink in 2026.

Currently there is no EU-wide definition for cider, and Brussels wants consumers to better understand the differences between products marketed as such across the bloc – and to ensure that they are properly valued.

The market for cider and perry is worth roughly €6 billion, according to market watchers. France and Spain are the bloc’s main producers, while Spain, Germany, Ireland and France rank among the EU’s biggest drinkers. The UK, however, remains Europe’s largest cider market by far.

At a closed-door meeting on Thursday, the European Commission presented fresh ideas for harmonised cider labelling rules, which could come as early as April, according to a draft of the 2026 delegated acts seen by Euractiv.

The move has been pushed by countries keen to protect traditional producers from being undercut by industrial blends.

In France’s cider heartlands of Brittany and Normandy, producers pride themselves on drinks made from 100% apple juice. Northern Spain has a similarly purist tradition: dry, sharp drinks and fermented entirely from apples.

Further north, the picture looks different. In the Nordics, much of the mass-market cider sector relies on different recipes, where apple juice content can dip below 20% – though craft versions are also gaining ground.

From sidra to Apfelwein

The latest Commission proposal sketches out a three-tier classification system.

The ‘premium cider’ denomination would be reserved for drinks made with 100% apple juice, ‘cider’ for at least 50%, and ‘cider-based’ drinks for those with a minimum juice content of 20%.

Another idea under discussion would tie traditional names – sidra, cidre and Apfelwein –to drinks produced in Spain, France, and Germany and Austria, respectively. These terms would also require 100% fruit juice.

An EU diplomat told Euractiv that the text looked like an improvement on earlier versions but still needed fine-tuning – particularly to strike the right balance between protecting traditional methods and allowing room for industrial producers.

The latest approach is notably softer than an earlier draft floated last year, which proposed a flat 50% minimum juice content for any drink labelled cider or perry. That plan prompted Sweden, Denmark and Finland to warn the Commission it would choke off growth in their domestic sectors.

But even French purists, who have repeatedly insisted it is either  “100% apple juice or nothing,” disliked the proposal, seeing it as too permissive.

Unintended consequences

A second proposal presented in October for optional labelling rules also ran into resistance, with several countries calling it overly complex, according to meeting minutes.

France, Poland, Belgium and Italy pushed hardest for a clear EU-wide definition during talks last autumn. Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Ireland voiced reservations.

But even others remain wary. A second diplomat said the latest draft risks becoming “very confusing for consumers”.

More broadly, the diplomat said new marketing rules would cut against the Commission’s simplification drive. “People spending money on good artisanal cider aren’t going to confuse it with a €2 industrial one,” they added.