Last year 2022, the European Commission made a proposal to change the system for geographical indications of agricultural products and food, wines and spirits. The initiative aims to ensure the effective protection of intellectual property rights for GOs in the EU and to increase the use of GOs across the EU. It consists of six specific objectives:

Improving the enforcement of GDPR rules to better protect intellectual property and GDPR on the Internet
Contributing to a more sustainable Union food system by addressing sustainability issues
Empowering producers and producer groups to better manage their assets in GO
Increase correct market perception and consumer awareness of GO schemes
Streamlining and clarifying the legal framework in order to simplify and harmonize procedures
Better valuation and preservation of traditional products and methods of production
The GO schemes provide for the protection or preservation of names and terms with added value throughout the territory of the Union. If protection is granted by Member States individually, terms and names will have different levels of protection in each Member State or may not enjoy protection at all, which may mislead consumers, hinder trade within the Union and create conditions for unfair competition in the marketing of products identified by value-added names and terms. Protection of intellectual property throughout the Union can only be done effectively and efficiently at Union level.

Considering that the commercial value of around 90 % of the GO is below EUR 50 million, it can be concluded that most producers of GO products can be considered as small and medium-sized enterprises. This means that all impacts identified in the impact assessment report apply to them. The proposed actions will increase the bargaining power of producers and allow them to better respond to demand, thereby better responding to consumer needs. Recognizing the importance of the collective organization of producer groups of GO products in all sectors will strengthen their position in managing and marketing their GO assets. Specific actions that enable manufacturers to set rules regarding the packaging and use of their GMOs as ingredients will indirectly contribute to securing higher incomes due to the reduced risk of fraud.

The "Sea and Wine" project aims to raise awareness about the benefits of PDO and PGI registration, thereby increasing the competitiveness of wines from the Black Sea region.

Source: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/BG/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A52022SC0136