The European Commission recently launched a public consultation on the protection of geographical indications for non-agricultural products.
The European Union has been a long-term proponent of geographical indications. A geographical indication (GI) refers to a product originating from a place from which it derives particular quality, reputation or other characteristics. Examples in the EU are Bordeaux wine and Parma ham. Non-agricultural products do not at this time enjoy a unitary GI protection at EU level beyond national laws, according to a press release.
The Green Paper consultation runs from 17 July to 28 October. The consultation has two parts. The first concerns “the current means of protection provided at national and EU level and the potential economic, social and cultural benefits that could be achieved by improved GI protection in the EU,” according to the release.
The second part “includes more technical questions to seek the views of interested parties on possible options for EU-level GI protection for non-agricultural products.”
Non-agricultural products such as Bohemian crystal, Scottish tartans, Murano glass or Tapisserie d’Aubusson have been mentioned as possible examples by EU officials.