Bruxelles, 21/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - On 16 February, the president of the European Association of Geographical Indications (AREPO) called for the provisions laid down in the dairy package on managing volumes for cheese under geographical indications to be extended to all products in the text being negotiated on quality products. Readers may recall that the issue of managing deliveries for products under PDO (protected designation of origin) and PGI (protected geographical indication) continues to divide the institutions of the EU, a situation which is currently blocking a compromise on the proposals on quality agricultural products (see EUROPE 10553). A number of countries take the view that what has been decided on regarding contracts in the dairy sector (managing volumes for quality cheeses) should not be considered jurisprudence for the other sectors.
AREPO wants the regulation of production volumes to be “extended to all other European PDO and PGI products. Different treatment would be unconscionable and incomprehensible, as all geographical indications, whether PDO or PGI, are subject to the same European standards.” AREPO expects a compromise to be reached between the EP and the Council of Ministers of the EU regarding the details for managing production volumes of the other PDOs and PGIs in the framework of the European legislative package on quality.
AREPO welcomes the compromise on the dairy package, stating that the new standards would make it possible, whilst guaranteeing respect for standards on competition, to “intervene in planning the production of quality cheeses and those under protected designation of origin. This could make it possible, whilst reducing the instability of the market, to protect and stabilise producers' income, whilst protecting consumers from the phenomenon of speculation caused by insufficient or excessive supply.” (LC/transl.fl)