EU Parliament strengthens quality safeguards on traditional European foods

The final version of the revised regulation on Geographical Indications (GIs), approved on Wednesday (28 February), boosts protections for food products and producers, though the Greens criticised the lack of mandatory environmental commitments.

For the past three decades, the EU has protected foods and beverages whose quality, reputation or other characteristics are linked to their geographical origin through the labels of Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG).

There are now 3,500 geographical indications, generating €80 billion in the EU each year.

“Our political will is to support our producers, so that our production systems are increasingly sustainable and resilient,” said Paolo De Castro (S&D), rapporteur for the reform. The text was almost unanimously approved, with 520 votes in favour, 19 against and 64 abstentions.

In 2022, the Commission proposed a revision of the EU Geographical Indications Regulation to address certain shortcomings identified in an evaluation carried out in 2021.

The assessment pointed to the lack of consumer awareness of the GI logo in some EU countries, the low level of enforcement of legislation, shortcomings in environmental matters and the complexity of registration and amendment procedures.

Digital protection and protection from industry

The reform provided reinforced protection of geographical indications on the web. “For online purchases, a geo-blocking system will guarantee protection against fake sites that copy marks,” explained De Castro.

An alert system set up by the European Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) will identify illegal domain names so that they can be deactivated.

The adopted text also defines rules when these products are used as ingredients by food processors. When the GI ingredient is used in sufficient quantities to confer an essential characteristic, manufacturers will be obliged to use the protected names on the label, indicating its percentage.

The GI producer groups (consortia) will have to be consulted and will be able to make recommendations to the manufacturer.

According to the rapporteur, the new text gives greater rights to consortia. They will be able to prevent or counter any measure or commercial practice detrimental to the image and value of their products, including price.

MEPs concerned by 'trademark' approach for new geographical indications rules

European lawmakers expressed concerns over a change of course in the EU’s geographical indications (GIs) policy, drifting away from current rules and particularly European Commission supervision.

The Commission remains the sole observer

To increase transparency for consumers, the name of the producer will also have to appear on the label, in addition to that of the geographical indication.

The text makes a point of simplifying administrative procedures. A shorter period of six months will be required to examine an application for a geographical indication.

Some MEPs welcomed certain advances from the Commission’s initial text, particularly on the role of the European Union Intellectual Property Organisation (EUIPO).

In its proposal, the Commission wanted to transfer a number of tasks to the EUIPO, such as checking applications, the so-called opposition procedures (when producers may oppose the registration of a GI), the operation of the register and even GI specifications.

In January 2022, MEPs feared a shift towards a new approach based on trademarks, cutting the link of GIs to the development and maintenance of rural areas.

“Know-how cannot be reproduced over and over again like a simple brand, which is why we fought in Parliament for the EU Intellectual Property Office not to be in charge of specifications. The Commission must remain competent,” insisted Anne Sanders MEP (EPP).

In the end, the Commission will remain the main ‘guardian’ of the GI system.

EUIPO will provide important advisory support on administrative issues, and contribute to the protection and promotion of GIs via an EU online register of geographical indications.

Not enough sustainability

According to the text, the GI producers can draw up a sustainability report explaining the environmental, economic and social benefits for local territories, and the practices they adopt for animal health and welfare, though this is voluntary.

“There’s nothing ambitious here, these sustainability practices have been reduced to nothing,” said MEP Claude Gruffat (Greens/EFA), whose group abstained.

For Green MEP Manuela Ripa, there is “no single standard, no control and no obligation” to protect ecosystems and animals. She particularly regrets that sustainability actions can be set by producer groups, which carries a risk of “greenwashing” and can “mislead” consumers.

Agrifood Podcast: A deep dive into EU's geographical indications

This week, EURACTIV’s agrifood team explores the main aspects of the current reform of geographical indications (GIs), the EU’s food quality scheme.

We spoke to the key players in the reform on a range of pending issues, from online protection for …

[Edited by Angelo Di Mambro/Nathalie Weatherald]

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