Brussels, 24/07/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 23 July, the Federal Swiss Office of Agriculture declared that the Swiss Mission to the European Union (EU) had sent the European Commission a request for registering Gruyère as a protected designation of origin (PDO) in the Community register on PDO and protected geographical indications (PGI).
The aim of this request is to ensure “better protection in Community territory of one of the leading products in the tradition of Swiss cheese”. Switzerland took this approach to take into account a request for registration of French Gruyère in the Community list of PDOs. Similar cheeses to the Swiss original are made in a neighbouring French region that shares the same name. Sharing this denomination between Switzerland the France is codified in the Convention of Stresa and several bilateral agreements involving protection of indications of origin. The Swiss and French Gruyère subsidiaries have recognised the homonym of this denomination, which is expected to help protect the two products from the two geographically contiguous areas. They can be differentiated by their different specifications.
The two Gruyère subsidiaries have been collaborating for nearly ten years to protect the parallel denomination of their products. The national authorities of the two countries have acknowledged that the homonym of this denomination “is expected to allow the two products to be protected” in these two contiguous areas. The Federal Office of Agriculture also says that they can be recognised by their different specifications.
In Switzerland, Gruyère has benefited from a PDO since 2001. In France, the formalities involved in registering the PDO were concluded at a national level in spring 2007 and the case was recently sent to the European Commission in view of Community protection. “The fact that the French homonym and denomination is being registered at Community level has called for a specific approach from Switzerland”. (lc)