On Thursday 7 April in Luxembourg, the EU agriculture ministers reacted quite positively to the recent proposals on the reform of the regulation on geographical indications (GIs).
EU ministers seem to have been reassured by the words of Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski that the European Commission will also retain control over decisions on GI validation in the future.
Julien Denormandie, the French minister who chairs the Agriculture Council, said GIs “reflect the quality of agricultural products” and show “the immense wealth of our agriculture”.
“This mechanism must be strengthened”, he said, supported by the delegations that spoke at the EU Council (including Italy, Romania, Poland and Austria) and by the Commission.
Role of the EUIPO. Spain, Portugal and Lithuania, in particular, insisted that DG AGRI in the Commission should retain its decision-making power on the granting of GIs.
The Commission proposes to entrust tasks to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
Mr Wojciechowski assured the Ministers that in order to shorten the procedural deadlines, the Commission “will rely on the EUIPO to provide technical assistance in the examination of the files”. However, “the responsibility for GI policy and the final decision on each case will remain with the Commission”, the Commissioner insisted. It is the Commission that “will continue to register the names and approve the changes made by the Union to the terms of reference”, confirmed Janusz Wojciechowski.
The EU Council Working Group on GIs will meet on 29 April to start the examination of this proposal, which dates from the end of March (see EUROPE 12923/20). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)