Foodlaw-Reading
Dr David Jukes, The University of Reading, UK
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Commission Speech, 30 March 2023
President García Bernal, Distinguished participants and guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good afternoon,
First of all, I would like to congratulate AREPO on the success of today's event.
Indeed, I would like to congratulate you on your important work, not only today, but throughout the year.
You play a crucial role as champions of quality products and places of origin, representing 33 European regions and over 850 producer associations, accounting for over 60% of European GI products.
Importance of GIs
In Europe, quality and origin are essential pillars of our culture, and our agriculture. Nowhere is this more evident than in our system of geographical indications.
As you know, geographical indications link a product not only to its specific place of origin, but also to the production methods, tastes and qualities that make that product unique.
This link is rooted in the local knowledge, and the tradition of transferring this knowledge to younger generations, that shapes the quality of GI products.
As GIs cannot be delocalised, they represent a valuable opportunity for employment and economic development for many European regions, bringing benefits for trade and income, with spill-over effects on local tourism.
They also create cultural and environmental benefits, by respecting local ecosystems, regenerating countryside landscapes and communities, supporting rural diversity, and preserving traditions and gastronomic heritage.
So far, the system of GIs in the EU has been a real success story, with over 3,500 registered names up to now.
These products enjoy a high level of legal protection against imitation and misuse; both within the European Union, and outside.
GI Review
But of course, while the GI system has been sound and successful, there is always scope for improvement.
We live in a time of opportunities and challenges, in a globalised and more technology-driven world.
If we wish to maintain the EU's high food quality and standards, and ensure that our cultural, gastronomic and local heritage is protected and promoted, we need to strengthen our GI system.
That is why the Commission has undertaken the current revision of GI legislation: to improve the protection of GIs and to increase their uptake across Europe.
Protection and enforcement
Firstly, the adequate protection of GIs is essential for producers and consumers alike:
As many of you know, the success of our system and the strong reputation of GI products has attracted counterfeits and fraud.
Furthermore, while digitalisation offers a lot of potential for accessing new markets, it also requires safeguards to prevent fraud, especially when it comes to online sales.
Therefore, our proposal sets out new provisions to improve the protection of GI products and to strengthen the enforcement of rules and agreements, both offline and online.
For instance, the proposal introduces new provisions on the protection of GIs in the domain name system, an issue highlighted by certain speakers here today.
Additionally, most GIs belong to small and medium enterprises, and we must ensure that they are supported with the necessary legal instruments, to enforce their rights equally, across both offline and online environments.
Finally on the matter of protection, let me reassure you that the EU will continue to be a strong advocate for the enhanced protection of GIs at international level, both multilaterally (through the WTO and WIPO) and in our bilateral relations with third countries.
It is our shared success that our international partners increasingly recognise GIs in our bilateral trade agreements, while the Geneva Act related to geographical indications represents an additional, multilateral framework for their protection.
Increasing take-up: simplification and geographical imbalances
The second key goal of our revision is to facilitate the take up of GIs across the EU, and to promote their use as accessible Intellectual Property instruments for farmers and producers.
Our revision therefore aims to streamline and clarify the existing legal framework, in order to simplify and harmonise the procedures for the application and registration of new names, as well as for amendments to product specifications.
We also aim to simplify the administration of GIs by providing for a single set of procedural and control rules for all sectors, thereby ensuring coherence and making the system of GIs more easily understandable for stakeholders.
Simplifying rules and procedures, and reducing administrative burdens, has the added potential to encourage take-up in Member States where the use of GIs is currently under-exploited.
While this is slowly changing for better, the new simplified rules should accelerate this positive trend by increasing the production and registration of GI products across Europe, which will further strengthen European agriculture.
In addition to the different measures outlined in our proposal, to make GI applications easier and more attractive, the Commission is also carrying out information and communication actions, and provides increased guidance for producers and authorities.
We can see an important role for local and regional authorities in such outreach activities. We will look for your co-operation to organise conferences in different Member States, as well as webinars.
Finally, we are also preparing a toolkit, with explanations on the registration process and on drafting an application, to help national, regional and local authorities in their contacts with producers and in the preparation of GI applications.
Conclusion
Ladies and gentlemen,
I have outlined the ambitions of our revision, but our job is not yet done. We must transform these ambitions into real actions and achievements that can benefit our producers and our regions.
Tomorrow will mark one year since the Commission adopted the review proposal.
I am counting on the co-legislators to reach a compromise soon on all outstanding issues of the GI review. It is my hope that the first trilogues could take place before summer break – so that we can have a stronger GI system in place as soon as possible.
I believe I have made it clear why a stronger system is needed: by strengthening our GI products, we are strengthening rural economies across the European Union, as well as our local traditions and ecosystems.
We all know how important these things are, and for that reason, I wish to thank and encourage AREPO once again, for your work in championing Geographical Indications.
Together we recognise that the strength of the European Union is in the richness of its regions, and the diversity of its tastes and traditions.
I look forward to continuing our good work, to protect and promote these core aspects of our Union, and of ourselves.
Thank you.
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