European Union to join agreement enhancing protection of geographical indications

The European Commission welcomes the support expressed today by the Council to allow the European Union to join the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement, a multilateral treaty for the protection of geographical indications managed by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). This comes after a positive vote in the European Parliament plenary session. Agriculture and rural development Commissioner Phil Hogan said: “I welcome the Council and Parliament’s positive decision for the EU to become a member of the Geneva Act. This is a step forward to better protect our geographical indications at a multilateral level. They mirror the EU’s valuable geographical diversity, authenticity and know-how, in terms of agricultural products, food, and drinks. This membership will add on to the protection already granted through international bilateral agreements.” The Council adopted a legal package setting the legal basis for the European Union’s accession, as well as the rules on how the EU will operate as a member of the Geneva Act. Being a member allows to secure protection for appellations of origin (AO) through a single registration. This means that once the EU officially becomes a member, all EU geographical indications can in principle get rapid, high-level and indefinite protection in other members of the Geneva Act.