Local industrial and craft products must be
effectively promoted and protected against
counterfeiting to prevent the current legal
uncertainty resulting from the fragmentation of
legal systems in all individual EU Member States.
To this purpose, EU regions and cities demand
clearer and more coordinated rules, including the
introduction of a common register of geographical
indications facilitating access to information for
consumers, producers, as well as for national and
local governments. This is the key message of the
opinion led by Martine Pinville,
Regional Councillor of Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region,
unanimously adopted on Tuesday, 11 October by the
European Committee of the Regions (CoR).
European craftsmanship can be found in great diversity
in cities, provinces and regions across the EU. Whether
Solingen cutlery from Germany, Bohemian crystal glass
from the Czech Republic, Limoges porcelain from France
or Murano glass from Italy, they are all emblems of
centuries-old craft traditions and part of Europe's
cultural heritage.
After the European Commission took up the propositions
from the CoR opinion on the same topic one year ago,
this
revised opinion
on the legislative
proposal
supports the Commission in establishing an EU system
for the protection of geographical indications for
these products and involve the regions where artisanal
and industrial producers operate in this process. In
this way, regions could benefit from the protection of
typical products and would be able to better retain and
attract skilled workers, preserve their cultural
heritage and create new opportunities for the tourism
industry. The revised opinion welcomes the Commission's
approach
, which took on board the CoR proposals included in the
revised opinion adopted in October 2021.
The rapporteur
Martine Pinville
(FR/PES),
Member of the Regional Council of
Nouvelle-Aquitaine, said: "
Murano glass, porcelain from Limoges and Solingen
cutlery deserve the same protection as Parma ham,
feta and champagne. We are glad that the European
Commission has responded to the European Committee
of the Regions’ call for such legal protection for
our craft and industrial products and recall the
importance of ensuring the same level of
protection, transparency, security and trust for
consumers whatever the nature of the GI!
"
Members also suggested that the EU introduce measures
to support certification, help skilled labour, and
inform and promote industrial and craft products with
geographical indications.
In particular, the revised opinion calls for a common
register that would facilitate access to information
for consumers, producers and local and regional
authorities, putting emphasis especially on the
specificity and diversity of the products and economic
ecosystems. The opinion also recommended that the
proposed definition of 'artisanal products' be widened.
The Commission's definition does not reflect practice
in some Member States, the CoR said. The definition
should be revised to encompass production processes
used in the EU, whether fully manual, mechanical or
mixed. Innovation and research of these products should
not be hindered by product specifications or by the
restrictive interpretation of the terms "tradition" and
"traditional".
Background:
On 13 April 2022, the Commission
proposed
a first-ever framework to protect the intellectual
property for craft and industrial products based on the
originality and authenticity of traditional practices
from their regions after the CoR called on the European
Commission in an own-initiative opinion in October 2021
to draw up a proposal for a legal basis to protect
industrial and craft geographical indications in the
European Union. Producers have so far lacked EU
labelling protection linking the origin and reputation
of their products to their quality while similar
provisions for agricultural products already exist.
With this proposal, the Commission aims to enable
producers to protect artisanal and industrial products
linked to their region and traditional know-how, which
will have an impact in Europe and beyond.
Contact:
Theresa Sostmann
Tel. +32 475999415
Theresa.Sostmann@cor.europa.eu