photo: © Eneida Nieves, pexels.com
Agricultural products are specially protected by European Union law. This geographical indications (GI) system so far has not applied to craft and industrial products that are created using traditional practices from a specific region, such as certain ceramics, clothing, jewellery or furniture. Building on the success of the existing GI system, the European Commission (EC) is now putting a complementary protection system into place.
Under the new framework, the regulation will apply to specific products such as Murano glass, Donegal tweed, or Solingen cutlery. As a result, only tweed produced in the Donegal region of Ireland and with particular production methods, for example, could carry the appellation Donegal tweed. This will help producers in protecting and enforcing the intellectual property rights of their products across the EU. The regulation will also support the development of Europe's rural and other regions by providing incentives for producers, especially SMEs, to invest in new, authentic products.
Drawing on the success of the geographical indication system for wine-spirit drinks and agricultural products, with this proposal for a Regulation, the Commission aims to enable producers to protect craft and industrial products associated with their region and their traditional know-how, with effects in Europe and beyond. The Regulation, providing for an EU indication protection, will make it easier for consumers to recognise the quality of such products and make more informed choices. It will help to promote, attract and retain skills and jobs in Europe's regions, contributing to their economic development. The proposal would also ensure that traditional craft and industrial products are put on an equal footing with protected geographical indications that already exist in the agricultural area.
Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age said:
Many European regions hold an untapped potential for jobs and growth. Notably in the crafts and industrial sector, many SMEs have developed and refined manufacturing skills over generations, but lack incentives and resources to project them, especially across borders. The protection granted by geographical indications for craft and industrial products will encourage both regions and producers in their competition at a continental and global level.
Commissioner Thierry Breton, responsible for the Internal Market, said:
Europe has an exceptional legacy of world-renown crafts and industrial products. It is time that these producers benefit from a new intellectual property right, like food and wine producers, that will increase trust and visibility for their products, guaranteeing authenticity and reputation. Today's initiative will contribute to the creation of skilled jobs especially for SMEs and to the development of tourism also in the more rural or economically weak areas.