Commission publishes study on geographical indications (GI) and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSG) protected in the EU

The EU framework on geographical indications (GIs) and traditional specialities guaranteed (TSGs) is effective in reaching its objectives and provides a clear EU added value. The GI and TSG schemes are relevant and broadly coherent with other EU and national policies, but there is room for further integration of environmental sustainability and animal welfare considerations. The study identified some limits, such as the low awareness and understanding of GIs and TSGs by consumers in some Member States as well as weaknesses of the controls at the downstream stages of the value chain.

These are among the findings of the evaluation support study on the Geographical Indications and Traditional Specialities Guaranteed protected in the EU, published today by the European Commission. The publication includes an executive summary in English and French, providing a concise overview of the study and its recommendations.

This external study, along with the replies to the corresponding open public consultation, will contribute to the overall evaluation of geographical indications and traditional specialities guaranteed protected in the EU. The evaluation assesses the effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, relevance and EU added value of the current GI and TSG policy. The evaluation will feed into an impact assessment, which will present and analyse the policy options for a review of the GI/TSG scheme, on which a public consultation is ongoing and open until 9 April 2021.

Background

The European Union protects almost 3,400 names of agri-food products including agricultural products and food, covering also fishery and aquaculture products; wines, spirit drinks and aromatised wine products – under its EU quality schemes.

Geographical indications establish intellectual property rights for specific products, whose qualities are specifically linked to the area of production. Those include protected designation of origin (PDO) and protected geographical indication (PGI) for agri-food products and wine as well as geographical indication (GI) for spirit drinks and aromatised wines.

Traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) highlights the traditional aspects such as the way the food and agricultural product is made or its composition, without being linked to a specific geographical area. The name of a product being registered as a TSG protects it against falsification and misuse.

The key objectives of the GI and TSG schemes are to:

ensure the protection of the names of specific products and traditional production methods, including the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR);
safeguard the integrity of the internal market;
reach fair competition for farmers and producers;
provide fair return to farmers and producer;
provide clear and reliable information on the product to consumers;
create a competitive landscape with a level playing field for producers in rural areas.