Geographical Indications, or ‘GIs’, establish intellectual property rights for specific agricultural products, whose qualities are specifically linked to the area of production – think Champagne, or Feta cheese.
Widely considered one of the EU’s greatest success stories, GIs also have the tendency to inspire strong emotions in everyone involved, from countries to consumers.
Together with EURACTIV’s network partners, we’ve put together this Agrifood Special CAPitals edition of the brief to learn about the cultural, economic and geopolitical stories behind some of the EU’s most beloved GIs.
FRANCE
When Russia drinks Champagne… without Champagne. In July 2021, Vladimir Putin made an announcement that caused an earthquake in the Champagne region in the east of France: the famous appellation was to disappear in the land of vodka. For protectionist purposes, Russia is now allowing its wine producers to use the Cyrillic word “champagne” (“shampanskoe”), while genuine French champagne can be sold as a simple sparkling wine.
This decision came as a shock to French producers and the Comité Champagne, which guarantees respect for the name in Europe and around the world. Since the creation of the AOC (appellation d’origine contrôlée) in 1935, followed by the European protected designation of origins (PDO) in 1991, it has been strictly forbidden to market a ‘champagne’ that does not comply with the traditional specifications and produced in the geographical area of production.
But this only applies in France for the AOC and in Europe for the PDO. While more than 120 countries have decided to recognise the name at the instigation of France and the EU – including China (2009), Brazil (2013) and Canada (2014) – this is not the case everywhere.
In the US, the world’s largest importer of champagne and second-largest wine producer, there are several designations, such as ‘sparkling wine’ or ‘méthode champenoise’, but any sparkling wine can say “champagne” on its label.
While Russia’s decision to join the club of recalcitrants has caused quite a stir, the Comité Champagne has since pointed out that Russia only ranked 15th in terms of French exports in 2020, with 1.9 million bottles sold. In 2022, only 0.4 million bottles were shipped. Moreover, with the war in Ukraine, companies such as Pernod Ricard have decided to further reduce trade with Russia.
But the Comité Champagne‘s battle is far from over, and discussions are continuing with reluctant countries. Several million euros are spent every year, and 70 law firms are working around the world to combat fraud and counterfeiting, but also to gain recognition for the world’s most famous appellation, with a slogan that reads: “It is only Champagne from the Champagne”.
(Hugo Struna | Euractiv.fr)
GERMANY
Christmas market GI producers fear EU rules. If you are looking for a snack at the famous Christmas market in Nuremberg, Bavaria, there are two treats you will find at every corner: Nuremberg rib steak sausages, and Nuremberg gingerbread. Both are GI-protected, and both are threatened by possible new EU rules, according to their makers.
Registered in 1996 and 2003, respectively, gingerbread and sausages manufactured in Nuremberg have been protected geographical indications (PGI) for decades.
But this month, producers of the two products warned that proposed changes to the EU’s legislation on GIs – which is currently being overhauled – could “discriminate” against the Nuremberg treats.
In its position on the GI reform, adopted in June this year, the European Parliament proposed that, where a product’s primary ingredients stem from a different country than its protected geographical designation, producers would have to make this transparent on the label.
This is where the bone of contention lies for the Association for the Protection of Nuremberg rib steak sausages and the Federal Association of German Sweets Manufacturers (BDSI), which represents gingerbread producers.
For their products, they argued in a statement published on 14 September, the rule proposed by the Parliament would be “not or hardly practicable” and would “devalue the popular products”.
Unlike protected designations of origin (PDO), protected geographical indications (PGI) do not have to be fully produced and packed in the region in question, with the label only covering the “most relevant” phases of the production process, which gives the product its unique character.
“This move from Brussels negates the history of products connected to a city, such as Nuremberg Bratwurst,” Rainer Heimler, chair of the Nuremberg Sausage Association, said.
Traditionally, he argued, ingredients for the two products have always been sourced elsewhere, since the city of Nuremberg has never been able to produce the pigmeat needed for the sausages or the spices needed for gingerbread on its own but was an international trading hub in the late Middle Ages when the products originated.
(Julia Dahm | Euractiv.de)
AUSTRIA
GI-protected pumpkins hit by adverse weather. Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil is one of 18 Austrian geographical indications and has been produced in the region for over a century, but this year, producers were hit by particularly unfavourable weather conditions.
Pumpkin farmers in the region suffered severe damages when storms and hail hit Eastern Austria on 16 July this year. The country’s hail insurance estimated the total damages to farming in Styria at €1.3 million, listing pumpkins as one of the main crops hit.
The blow to production came after a season of already unfavourable weather; in mid-June, the Styrian federal state announced a special assistance programme for pumpkin producers in the region, after a sequence of unusually cold weather followed by large amounts of rain had come as a blow to farms.
“Styrian pumpkin seed oil is a culinary cultural asset,” the region’s governor, Cristopher Drexler, said in a statement at the time. “With this financial aid, we want to encourage farmers to continue to rely on the Styrian oil pumpkin in the future.”
Styrian Pumpkin Seed Oil has been a protected geographical indication (PGI) since 1998. To bear the label, a product has to be sourced from pumpkins grown in specific parts of Austria and pressed in Southern Styria.
Ironically, the weather conditions in the region are precisely what gives the oil its specific character, according to the product’s entry in the EU’s GI register.
“The warm and humid weather prevailing in the growing regions allows the Styrian oil pumpkin to ripen only in autumn. This is the reason for the high content of unsaturated fatty acids is achieved,” it reads.
(Julia Dahm | Euractiv.de)
SPAIN
Rioja vineyards see red over new challenge. Rioja wines are among the best-known European wines. Although this typical Spanish product has been protected by a so-called ‘Qualified Denomination of Origin’ (DOC) since 1991, the wine name has been protected since 1925, according to Rioja DOCE sources. The name is a symbol and the protection covers wine from one hundred kilometres of vineyards in the Spanish region where its name derives.
The rules for this DOC are currently the source of one of the biggest controversies linked to protected products in Spain. Several wineries in ‘La Rioja Alavesa’, an area located in the Basque Country, decided to create a new name and a new denomination ‘Viñedos de Álava’ (wines from Álava), which the Rioja DOC rejected. The DOC regulatory body changed the rules to prevent a winery from using both names and demanded the ‘exclusivity’ of the grape if the winemaker wanted the protection of the DOC Rioja.
The dispute had political consequences and reached the courts. While the Spanish Government supports DOC rules, the Basque nationalist parties support the new denomination from Álava.
Rioja may also sound familiar from EU trade negotiations. The DOC has traditionally been included in the list of the top agrifood quality products that EU negotiators bring for discussions with third countries about intellectual property, along with Manchego Cheese.
The name is also contested, given that in another region of Rioja in Argentina, winemakers have been claiming the name for nearly 25 years.
(Mercedes Salas | EFEAGRO)
ITALY
Italy’s ‘bubbles’ of contention by excellence. The iconic Italian bubbly wine Prosecco was granted the protected designation of origin (PDO) only in 2009 and since then proved to be one of the most difficult European products to protect, due to its commercial success.
Finding common ground on the Prosecco GI remains one of the biggest barriers to reaching a free trade agreement with Australia – where essentially any kind of sparkling wine is referred to by the same name.
But there is also a long-standing rift with Croatia about the protection of the traditional term ‘prošek’, a sweet dessert wine produced in the Dalmatia region – a rift that is far from over.
Recently, new infighting emerged within the Consortium for the Protection of Prosecco. The PDO refers to both the Designation of origin (DOC) and controlled and guaranteed designation of origin (DOCG) prosecco wine.
The first designation is for bottles produced in the entire territory of two Italian regions, Friuli and Veneto, while the latter is narrower as it refers only to the prosecco produced between the towns of Conegliano and Valdobbiene.
At the beginning of September, more than 200 ‘rebel’ winegrowers of DOCG prosecco called a press conference to announce they were splitting from their main consortium to form an autonomous committee.
The main reason is that they do not feel protected enough from the DOC prosecco. For instance, they complain that the tourist signs in the DOCG area indicate a generic ‘Prosecco hills’, without any reference to the Conegliano Valdobbiadene denomination. At the same time, they want stricter enforcement of the granting of the DOCG label to only wine produced in the Conegliano Valdobbiene area.
(Gerardo Fortuna| Euractiv.com)
ROMANIA
Sharing is caring? In the spring of this year, the European Commission granted Romania a new Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) – “Plăcintă Dobrogeană“, or Dobrogea pie, putting an end to a two-year dispute between Bucharest and Sofia.
The pie is a pastry product originating from the Dobrogea region in southeastern Romania, made from sheets of dough stretched and filled with salty telemea cheese, mixed with curd and eggs.
The product’s reputation is rooted in its historical significance, transmitted through generations via oral accounts documented in journals and books, preserving its heritage for future generations to savour.
Romania first submitted the application file for European recognition of this pastry product in 2019. However, in 2021 Bulgaria also laid claim to this pie considering the shared common history of the Dobrogea region, which once encompassed territories from both Bulgaria and Romania.
The negotiations between the two member states were mediated by the European Commission. As a consolation prize, Bulgaria also received the right to use the name – ‘Dobrudjanska banitsa’, but only at the local level, and without receiving GI recognition.
Initially, Sofia sought a 15-year right of use, but it was ultimately granted a 10-year right.
(Euractiv.ro)
BULGARIA
The war for the Bulgarian lyutenitsa was fought in Parvomay. ‘Lyutenitsa Parvomay’ has been produced in the small southern Bulgarian town of Parvomay using traditional technology since 1939, and is one of the most recognisable traditional products for Bulgarians. However, the use of the name has also sparked one of the longest legal battles in the country, which finally was put to an end by the Court of Justice of the EU.
Over the years, the town of Parvomai and the lands around it have established themselves as a centre for the cultivation of tomatoes and peppers – the main ingredients for Bulgarian lyutenitsa. The local products are processed in a traditional way by boiling the mixture of tomatoes, peppers, and aubergines.
However, a legal dispute over who can lay claim to the name began in 2014 between two companies, ‘Bulkons’ and ‘Conservinvest’. Despite the fact that Bulkons has registered the protected geographical indication in the Bulgarian Patent Office, the competing company argues that it also should be able to use the name as uses the traditional production method.
While the Bulgarian courts first sided with Conservinvest, Bulkons then won on appeal, overturning the decision and receiving €350,000 in compensation. The case then ended up in the EU Court, which concluded in February 2022 that national registration of protected geographical indications is not allowed, pushing Bulkons to register for an EU GI later that year.
The recognition of Lyutenitsa Parvomay as a product with a protected geographical indication will benefit both companies, but the legal battle between them may continue to seek compensation for the war over lyutenitsa, which has lasted for almost a decade.
(EURACTIV.bg)
GREECE
Greece’s famous feta cheese hides a long history. Feta cheese holds a special place in Greece as one of its most beloved geographical indication (GI) products and is one of the most recognisable protected food products in the EU. However, there is a long story behind its name.
In 1996, the EU officially registered Feta cheese in its PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) catalogue. This move stirred up reactions from several EU member states, including Denmark, France, and Germany, all of which were major producers of Feta cheese. Consequently, three years later, the European Court of Justice decided to strip Feta of its PDO label.
However, a few years down the line, in 2002, following a fresh investigation by the European Commission, Feta was once again designated as a PDO product.
Not too long ago, a new dispute emerged over the GI label for Feta cheese, prompting the Wall Street Journal to run the headline ‘The US is at odds with Europe over cheese’. This dispute centres on the differing approaches of the EU and the USA regarding the protection of GI products. Additionally, American cheese production companies have resurrected their claims against Feta cheese production for advertising purposes.
The production of Feta cheese is geographically limited to Greece, specifically in regions such as Macedonia, Thrace, Epirus, Thessaly, Central Greece, and on the islands of Lesvos and Lemnos. Unfortunately, recent natural disasters like the storm Daniel in Thessaly have put the Feta cheese production at risk. This catastrophic event resulted in the loss of around 61,000 sheep and the destruction of numerous cheese production facilities and farms.
From an economic perspective, Feta cheese exports from Greece have been on the rise. In 2022, they reached a substantial €605 million, compared to €388 million in 2019, according to the National Statistical Service. Furthermore, a document from the Economic and Commercial Affairs Office of the Greek Embassy in London, as reported in Greek media, emphasised that Feta cheese held the title of the most important exportable food product to the United Kingdom in 2022.
(Euractiv.gr)
CZECHIA
Prague Ham negotiations took six years, strongest ally posed the greatest obstacle. In 2018, Czech meat producers achieved a significant milestone by securing their place on the European list of guaranteed traditional specialities. The ‘Prague Ham’ became the fifth registered speciality since the country joined the EU in 2004. The process leading to this recognition was lengthy, with the negotiations lasting six years.
The EU’s decision to include Prague Ham in the Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (TSG) list was based on its enduring production history, dating back to the 19th century, and its status as one of the Czech most renowned meat products. In Czechia, the name is traditionally used for the highest quality ham made from pork with the original oval shape. However, similar specialities were produced also in other countries.
“That is why the negotiations for the award of the logo were rather complicated, as the Czech representatives had to agree with other member states on the exact recipe and production method,” the Czech Agriculture Ministry said.
Four EU member states – Italy, Germany, Austria and Slovakia – officially opposed the registration. Italians argued that their producers use the name ‘Prosciutto di Praga’ for products prepared according to a different recipe than Czech producers. Slovakia and Austria had similar reservations. Both countries and Germany also claimed that Prague ham is a well-known name and has long been used for products made by EU producers according to a different recipe.
Paradoxically, the most difficult negotiations were with Slovakia, with which the Czech Republic has above-standard relations due to their shared history. Slovakia further argued that the proposed name was economically significant for similar agricultural products or foodstuffs within their territory.
Ultimately, the Prague ham registration was accompanied by a five-year transitional period for label usage – a condition that secured consent from all countries. During this transitional phase – finishing this year – European producers have been exempt from adhering to the stringent regulations typically required for TSGs.
(Aneta Zachová, Euractiv.cz)
POLAND
Tough times for Polish flagship production. Of the 24 granted in Poland, one of the more popular GI products is the Grojec apples (Jabłka Grójeckie). Those include apples grown in a large orchard area in the Mazovian Voivodeship, with the centre in the town of Grojec.
The apples from Grojec have royal origins. In 1545, Polish Queen of Italian origin, Bona Sforza, received large tracts of land in the Grójec district. Famous for her love of gardening, including horticulture, she established numerous privileges for garden owners. Today, the Grojec area is often dubbed as ‘Europe’s largest orchard’.
The Grojec apples owe their quality to the unique conditions of soil and climate in the area of Grojec, with its special microclimate, characterised by low temperatures at night ahead of harvesting.
Poland is the world’s third-largest producer of apples, after China and the United States, with an annual production estimated at 3.6 million tonnes. Yet, in per capita terms, apple production in Poland is about three times as high as in China and six times as high as in the US. Apples make up 80% of the country’s fruit production.
Yet, apple producers, including Grojec apple producers, have been facing tough times recently between rising costs of plant protection products and fertilisers, higher costs of fuel and energy, as well as rising wages of the labour force. Meanwhile, there is a lower demand for apples and falling prices due to enhanced imports of cheap, lower-quality apple juice from Ukraine.
Although the EU-wide dispute on the consequences of excessive import of Ukrainian agri-food products to some member states was focused mainly on grain, the problem also concerns fruit growers, including apple growers.
Many processing plants prefer to buy cheaper juice imported from Ukraine than Polish apples which are more expensive and still need to be processed, which translates into additional costs.
Polish farmers cannot compete with Ukraine in food production, as several plant protection products that are banned from the EU are widely used in Ukraine, which makes the production much cheaper, Mirosław Maliszewski, head of the Association of Polish Fruit Growers, told Euractiv.pl earlier this year.
Until 2014, the East was one of the larger markets for Polish apples. After Russia imposed an embargo on Polish fruit production, the sector was forced to seek alternative markets, which often entangles a need for transition for other apple varieties, which are more in demand in the new markets.
Now, a new problem arises with Ukraine threatening to embargo Polish apples, cabbage, onion and tomatoes unless the conflict over Ukrainian grain imports is solved. In 2019, Ukraine was the 16th biggest importer of Polish apples, with an annual import value of over $6 million (about €5.7 million).
“Kyiv’s announcement is definitely not good news,” an apple grower from the Mazowieckie region, who sells part of her crops under the label of Jabłko Grójeckie, told Euractiv.pl.
“Yet, there is still some time left for apple sales, and the Polish government should use that time for negotiations with Ukraine,” she added.
(Aleksandra Krzysztoszek | EURACTIV.pl)
[Edited by Nathalie Weatherald]
