The proposal for a regulation to protect geographical indications for craft and industrial goods received a positive reception among SMEs and regions on Wednesday 13 April.
SMEs have been waiting for this proposal for more than 20 years, according to Luc Hendrickx, Director of Competitiveness of Enterprises at SMEunited, who was contacted by EUROPE. Therefore, the announcement of this initiative is positive in itself.
However, the issue of defining the products covered by the regulation will be particularly delicate, he warned. What is important for SMEs is to have a definition that is broad enough to cover many activities, but not too broad. “We need to find criteria to give effective protection and above all demonstrate the link with the territory”.
The other difficulty, in his view, is having a definition that will allow certain technological developments and innovations in the production of products to be followed despite everything. “Sometimes you have to accept certain developments in the production of artisanal products”.
The European Committee of the Regions has welcomed the European Commission’s proposal. “A new EU-wide system of protection for industrial and artisanal geographical indications, inspired by the successful model used for agricultural and food products, would benefit both artisans and local economies”, reads a CoR statement.
For the regions, the initiative will strengthen producers’ competitiveness by enhancing the reputation of their products while also providing greater security for consumers, who want more transparency regarding the origin of a product and its production process.
Last October, the Committee adopted an opinion drafted by Martine Pinville (PES, France), calling once again for such an initiative. This is an old request. In 2015, the Committee had already adopted an opinion on the subject. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)