The European Commission has decided on Thursday 24 January to send a reasoned opinion (second stage of the procedure) to Denmark on the grounds that the Danish authorities are not complying with their obligations under EU legislation on quality systems for agricultural products and foodstuffs (Regulation 1151/2012).
The Commission considers that Denmark has failed to prevent or stop the violation of the EU Regulation by companies based in Denmark that produce (and/or import from other countries) and export white cheese to third countries under a label designating it as 'Feta'.
This practice does not comply with the EU specification for a protected designation of origin (PDO) and is considered to involve misleading labelling, the Commission says. The product 'Feta' has been a registered PDO since 2002. The names of products with a PDO are those with the closest links to the geographical place of production, the Commission points out.
The Commission has also sent a reasoned opinion to Bulgaria regarding its law on trademarks and geographical indications. Since 2008, the country has maintained a national register of geographical indications. The Commission considers that this national law should have been abolished as of the date of the country's accession to the EU in 2007. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)