EU to strengthen protection of high quality food and drink products
Wine bottles - Photo © volff - Fotolia
(BRUSSELS) - EU Parliament and Council negotiators reached a provisional deal Tuesday to strengthen geographical indications (GIs) and other quality schemes for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products.
The new Regulation will increase the uptake of GIs across the Union and will provide a higher level of protection, especially online. This will help to further develop the EU's high food quality and standards, and ensure that our cultural, gastronomic and local heritage is preserved and certified as authentic within the EU and across the world.
The new Regulation on EU geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products will strengthen and improve the existing GI system by:
- introducing a single legal framework and a shortened, simplified registration procedure: different rules on GI procedures and protection are merged for the three sectors (food, wine and spirits), resulting in a single simplified GI registration procedure for EU and non-EU applicants. This simpler legal framework, with shorter registration times, is expected to increase the attractiveness of the schemes for producers, especially in countries with fewer GIs;
- increasing protection of GIs as ingredients and online: the new rules will increase the protection of GIs used as an ingredient in a processed product and of GI products sold online. The new regulation will also protect GI names in the domain name system, obliging Member States to block from their territory domain names that may be infringing a GI name;
- recognising sustainable practices: producers will be able to valorise their actions regarding environmental, economic or social sustainability, including animal welfare. The text agreed upon by co-legislators lists a non-exhaustive list of sustainability practices as an incentive to producers. This will contribute to better protecting natural resources and rural economies, securing local plant varieties and animal breeds, conserving the landscape of the production area and improving animal welfare. A producers' group may decide to make some sustainable practices mandatory for their products. In this case, they should be included in the product specifications. On a voluntary basis, producers can also draw up a sustainability report that will be published by the European Commission;
- empowering producers' groups: the new measures will establish a voluntary system of recognised GI producer groups, to be set up by Member States. To increase the attractiveness of the system, such groups will be empowered to manage, enforce and develop their GIs to strengthen their position in the value chain.
The enforcement of GIs remains the responsibility of Member States. It includes controlling the proper use of registered terms and combatting fraudulent production, sale and use of GIs. The Commission remains responsible for the registration, amendment and cancellation of all registrations. The political agreement reached by the European Parliament, Council and Commission is now subject to formal approval by the co-legislators.
Protecting local food and drinks: 3 500 geographical indications registered