On Wednesday 4 December, Executive Director of the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) João Negrão and Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI) Wolfgang Burtscher signed a revised administrative agreement that builds on years of cooperation to strengthen the protection and management of geographical indications (GIs) for agricultural products, wines and spirit drinks (see EUROPE 13379/3).
The revised agreement reinforces the key objectives of the collaboration between the two entities, which include cooperation in the field of GIs and the GI View database, as well as collaboration on communication, training activities and enforcement issues.
The agreement takes into consideration the responsibilities entrusted to the EUIPO under the new regulation on agricultural GIs, which comes into force in May 2024 (Union register, domain name alert system, examination of GI applications).
The EUIPO’s role in GI matters remains in the realm of administrative tasks, with final decisions remaining the responsibility of DG AGRI. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)