The Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU submitted to delegations, on Monday 3 April, a new amended text on geographical indications for agricultural products.
The EU Council hopes to adopt a common position on the text by the end of the Swedish Presidency, that is by the end of June.
The drafting suggestions of the regulation aim at deleting the delegation of competence (proposed by the European Commission) to the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) for the examination of applications.
Provision is made for sustainability: a producer group or recognised producer group, where it exists, “may agree” on sustainable practices to be adhered to in the production of the product designated by a geographical indication. These practices aim to apply sustainability standards higher than mandated by Union or national law.
On the European Parliament’s side, the Committee on Agriculture managed to find compromises on all key aspects of the proposed horizontal regulation on geographical indications (GIs) for agricultural products. A vote in the Committee on Agriculture will take place on 20 April (see EUROPE 13154/8).
Link to the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council’s draft suggestions: https://aeur.eu/f/673 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)