At the informal meeting of the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) in Cordoba on Monday 4 September, the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council indicated that the final trilogue on the revision of the rules on geographical indications would take place on 10 October.
The last negotiation meeting between the EU Council and the European Parliament, on 18 July, was a fruitful one. The Spanish Presidency recalled the issues raised during these talks: producer groups/recognised producer groups (whether to have a mandatory or voluntary system, and whether to include stakeholders other than producers in the groups), ingredients (in the case of processed products/prepacked food), domain names (improving protection on the internet of GIs), and sustainability (whether to include a list of objectives which sustainability practices aim to achieve).
The Presidency of the Council of the EU stated that the trilogue meeting paved the way for technical work that will take place in the coming weeks. The SCA will meet before 10 October to define a mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament (see EUROPE 13226/6). A number of other contentious issues will be raised at the final trilogue, including the tasks conferred on the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the rules on wine and the adoption of delegated and implementing acts by the Commission. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)