Brussels, 24/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - The United States put all its force into the negotiation on protecting the geographical names of wines and spirits, negotiation that really took off last week in Geneva. It rallied to a proposal rivalling that by the Europeans, considered "too binding" (see EUROPE of 16/17 September, p.9). US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick insisted in Washington that the United States and several members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), including developing countries, believe the current system can be improved without, however, creating a massively bureaucratic system that is both unwieldy and ineffective. He stressed that the project defended by the Union and other European countries (Hungary, Switzerland, Czech Republic, etc.) would impose further obligations on all members and make the current flexibility, which has long allowed the use of common names, to disappear. The proposal that brings the United States and sixteen trading partners together (Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, El Salvador, Namibia, etc.) is based on a system of voluntary registration of geographical names of wines and spirits that are already recognised in the national context. Obligations arising from this would only be binding for participant countries and it would no longer fall on governments but on right holders to ensure such obligations are honoured. Furthermore, Mr Zoellick described as "superfluous" the second European proposal aimed at extending to other products (European country products, both food and non-food, which have given Switzerland its reputation, or Basmati rice and Indian Darjeeling tea) the high level of protection given to wines and spirits by Article 23 of the Agreement on trade-related intellectual property rights (TRIPS). With those who support almost status quo in the important chapter of negotiations on the Doha Development Agenda, Washington argues it is inevitable that the cost of enhanced protection for such a large number of products would be greater than the advantages, mainly for developing countries, whereas the current level is not yet fully exploited by the WTO member countries which (like the EU) call for further negotiations in order to increase protection. Informal consultation is foreseen before negotiations are resumed in November within the TRIPS Council.