|
News Releases
No. 1/06
January 5, 2006
EUROPEAN COMMISSION PROPOSES IMPROVED RULES ON AGRICULTURAL QUALITY PRODUCTS
On January 4th, 2006, the European Commission
adopted two proposals to clarify and streamline rules
for
protected geographical indications (PGI), protected
designations of origin (PDOs) and “traditional
specialties guaranteed” (TSG). The draft regulations will
ensure full compatibility with the findings of a recent WTO panel.
 “The
Commission intends to implement a more efficient and
fully WTO-compatible registration procedure for special
products of this type,” said
Mariann Fischer Boel
(pictured at left),
Commissioner for
Agriculture and
Rural Development.
“The
system is a cornerstone of the EU’s quality policy and
our drive to improve the protection of geographical
indications internationally. I look forward to working
with Council [of the EU] and [European] Parliament in order to meet the WTO
deadline of April 2006.”
Since the
reform of the
Common Agricultural Policy,
quality policy has been playing an increasingly
prominent role. The number of regional and specialty
products for which denominations are registered under EU
quality schemes now stands at 720 and continues to grow.
In order to make the registration process more
efficient, the Commission is proposing to simplify
procedures and clarify the role of Member States. The
center piece of these proposals is the definition of a
well-defined “single document” for applications
containing all the necessary information for
registration, information and inspection purposes and
which will be published. The proposals also seek to
boost the image of the labels and the use of the EU
logos with a view to increasing consumer recognition.
In a panel ruling issued in 2004, the WTO upheld the
integrity of the EU’s geographical indications system
and rejected the majority of the claims made by the
United States and Australia. These regulations will
bring the scheme into conformity on the two areas that
were criticized: firstly by formally deleting the
requirement for “reciprocity and equivalence” from the
regulations and secondly by allowing third country
operators to submit applications and objections directly
rather than through their governments. The deadline for
implementing the ruling is set to expire in April 2006.
The proposals clarify the roles of Member States and
streamlines procedures and will form a sound basis for
the future development of the EU’s Quality Policy.
Further Contact Information
Press and Public Diplomacy
Delegation of the European Commission
2300 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
http://www.eurunion.org/PressRoom
Tel: 202-862-9552
Fax: 202-429-1766
|
