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The most important EU bodies reached an agreement on a new EU regulation for agricultural geoprotection on 24 October after years of wrangling. The basis for the discussions is a draft regulation of the European Commission dated 31 March 2022. The negotiations were led by MEP Paolo De Castro, the Spanish Minister of Agriculture Luis Planas and the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Janusz Wojchechowski. The EU is mainly concerned with better protection of products with geographical indications and names of traditional specialities.
"We are introducing the obligation to indicate the name of the producer on the label of each protected designation of origin (PDO) and protected geographical indication (PGI). We are also eliminating once and for all the loopholes in the system that make it possible to take unlawful advantage of a PGI's reputation. In particular, applications for the registration of traditional names, such as that of Croatian Prosek, can no longer be considered because they are identical to or evocative of the names of an existing PDO or PGI," said Paolo De Castro MEP.
Products that are historically linked to an area are also to be protected on the internet. For this purpose, a system of immediate geo-blocking of all illegal content will be introduced. In addition, the role of protection consortia and producer associations is to be strengthened. "If PGI products are used as ingredients, it is necessary to inform them about the use of the product. Member States that wish to do so can also provide for the obligation of written authorisation by the protection consortia," De Castro explained.
After the conclusion of the inter-institutional negotiations, the text of the agreement will come to the table of the Council's Special Committee on Agriculture, which will have to give its formal green light. The EU Parliament, in turn, will initiate the formalities for final approval with a vote in the Agriculture Committee. The final plenary vote is expected between January and February. The new EU regulation is expected to enter into force in February 2024.
(ru / Corriere del Veneto, BMEL)