The EU thread

[Tamas]

Fine but talking the talk and not walking the walk is exactly what I mean. I understand it is inconvenient, even damaging, to de-couple from a murderous dystopia when your economy has made big bucks on exploiting the cheap labour provided by said dystopia.

What I am saying is, Russia should serve as an example that going all "oh geez, it's awful and we will stand up to anything further more evil they do, we absolutely will, pinky swear! But for now we just ask people to consider not raking THIS much money in for them. Won't be making any steps to enforce that though, as that might actually decrease profits" is NOT the right way.

A break with China is coming. They'll butt heads with the US eventually, and it will turn into a (cold) war of two ideologies for the future of our civilisation. This I find inevitable.

[Sheilbh]

I agree - but I don't think the problem is the EU or VDL. I think the EU is doing what it can with its competence and VDL is doing the same and trying to rasie the concern.

Ultimately - I can't remember who it was who pointed it out - but while Scholz was far better on comms on his trip to China than Macron, it won't have escaped the notice of the Chinese state that both of them went with a coachload of CEOs and business leaders. It's on the member states and that's where I think the problem and very divided views are located.

If we want VdL's message to be taken seriously, then the next trip to China by a big European leader should just be their political team (and maybe some EU figures) - no business leaders, no CEOs, no big commercial announcements during the trip. Until then China will, rightly, interpret the message as Europe still primarily caring about Chinese money.

[Sheilbh]

In lighter EU news - I love France

'Champagne of beers' falls foul of French protections
EURACTIV.com with AFP

Belgian customs have destroyed almost 2,400 cans of US-brewed beer bearing the slogan "The Champagne of Beers", France's Champagne Committee said Tuesday (18 April), in the latest episode around the bubbly's fiercely-protected designation.

The cargo of 2,352 Miller High Life cans was seized in the port of Antwerp in early February but only destroyed on Monday, the Comite interprofessionel du vin de Champagne (CIVC) said in a statement.

Miller's slogan "represent(s) an infringement of the protected designation of origin Champagne," it complained.

"The consignee of the cans in Germany... did not contest the decision" after the Champagne Committee "requested the destruction of these illicit goods," it added.

The powerful CIVC, which groups the famed eastern French region's 16,200 growers and 360 brands, tracks anyone in the world seen as hijacking the Champagne name.

Under European regulations, "goods that infringe a protected designation of origin... are counterfeit," the committee highlighted.

The destruction of the beers — which the committee insisted was done in an environmentally responsible manner — "confirms the importance that the European Union attaches to designations of origin and rewards the determination of the Champagne producers to protect their designation," committee chief Charles Goemaere said.

The Champagne Committee tackles about 1,000 cases of alleged misappropriation of its moniker in 80 countries each year, its lawyers told AFP in 2021.

One rare case of blowback came in June that year, when Moscow decreed that only Russian-made bubbly can be called "champagne" while the French product must be labelled "sparkling wine".

[HVC]

Should have brewed it in China, then they'd have been fine with it

[Barrister]

Holy crap - I googled "the Champagne of Beers".

That tag line for Miller High Life goes back to freaking 1906.  Supposedly back then bottled beer was a new thing (you normally had to go to the bar to get it), so Miller High Life was an upscale product sold in bars shaped like Champagne bottles, and wrapped with foil on top to complete the look.

I had no idea - I knew it was an old tagline, just I thought it went back to the 70s or so.


But then again I'm firmly in the "champagne is a genericized term at this point" camp and any sparkling wine can be called champagne.

[Sheilbh]

Ironically if they still sold it like that, despite it being more champagne-y, they might have a case under EU law.

[HVC]

No statute of limitations? Assuming the used the ad/saying in Europe before that is. Hard to come and complain after 100 years.

 Miller can probably play an angle in the US. Good timing now with anheuser is have a tough  go at it.

[Barrister]

No statute of limitations? Assuming the used the ad/saying in Europe before that is. Hard to come and complain after 100 years.

 Miller can probably play an angle in the US. Good timing now with anheuser is have a tough  go at it.

Statue of limitations doesn't really apply - it's more a question of whether Miller High Life has been sold in Europe during this time.

I mean this goes way back to the Budweiser (US) vs Budweiser (CZ) wars...

[Admiral Yi]

I'm very supportive of AOC issues but this is a ridiculous ruling.  It's a marketing tag line, like saying this tshirt is the Cadillac of tshirts.  You have to be an idiot to think Miller was pretending High Life was double fermented sparkling wine.

On a different note, I'm surprised there is any market at all for High Life in Europe.  It's a reasonable overfizzed American lager, and I drank a lot of it in high school, but of all the beers in the world this one does give you the nastiest wino breath.

Cool label though.

[Duque de Bragança]

I'm very supportive of AOC issues but this is a ridiculous ruling.  It's a marketing tag line, like saying this tshirt is the Cadillac of tshirts.  You have to be an idiot to think Miller was pretending High Life was double fermented sparkling wine.

Could also be the Belgians sending a message by proxy about false trappist stuff.   
Different marketing regulations I guess.

On a different note, I'm surprised there is any market at all for High Life in Europe.  It's a reasonable overfizzed American lager, and I drank a lot of it in high school, but of all the beers in the world this one does give you the nastiest wino breath.

Cool label though.

I don't there is, it's completely unknown over here and I don't see it changing.

As for marketing tag lines and real genericised drinks, take a look at this:



Yes, it's a mix of beer and wine. Saw the ads on the métro.  I am not exactly excited.

[garbon]

I'm very supportive of AOC issues but this is a ridiculous ruling.  It's a marketing tag line, like saying this tshirt is the Cadillac of tshirts.  You have to be an idiot to think Miller was pretending High Life was double fermented sparkling wine.

Could also be the Belgians sending a message by proxy about false trappist stuff.   
Different marketing regulations I guess.

On a different note, I'm surprised there is any market at all for High Life in Europe.  It's a reasonable overfizzed American lager, and I drank a lot of it in high school, but of all the beers in the world this one does give you the nastiest wino breath.

Cool label though.

I don't there is, it's completely unknown over here and I don't see it changing.

As for marketing tag lines and real genericised drinks, take a look at this:



Yes, it's a mix of beer and wine. Saw the ads on the métro.  I am not exactly excited.

You don't have to purchase everything you see in ads.

[Duque de Bragança]

You don't have to purchase everything you see in ads.

You don't have to bitching so much, bitch. Was your alcohol-flavored sweet sparkling grape juice that bad or what?

Who said I was going to purchase everything? Furthermore, based on ads? 

But then garbonites must be garbonites, I guess.

PS: Besides, ads mentioned a tasting event festival, to lure people in.

[Jacob]

Someone must have peed on Duque's AOC Nutella sandwich this morning

[Duque de Bragança]

Someone must have peed on Duque's AOC Nutella sandwich this morning

Nutella is garbonite-level crap!

[garbon]

Someone must have peed on Duque's AOC Nutella sandwich this morning