The European Union has launched a new database containing information about agricultural and food products bearing a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or Protected Geographical Indicator (PGI) label under the bloc’s geographical indications (GIs) quality plan.
Every E.U.-registered geographical indication has a story behind it, reflecting the variety and wealth of products that our continent has to offer.
GIView contains the European GI products with a protected status outside of the E.U. through reciprocal agreements and, conversely, all the non‑E.U. products protected within Europe.
The platform stores information pertaining to various agricultural products including wine, olives and olive oil, different types of cheeses, and all other foodstuffs from the E.U. with a protected name and origin.
See Also:Producers Seek PDO in Castile y LeónThe stored data includes the GI type (PDO or PGI), the priority date and legal status of protection, as well as maps, photographs of the actual products, and product descriptions.
The aim is to have the information readily available to producers, consumers and all other stakeholders, and in advance protect the products, which are deemed the intellectual property of Europe, by providing useful data to anti-fraud authorities in case of an investigation for false practices or imitative products.
Europe’s GI system is a valuable asset. The annual sales of PDO and PGI products surpass €74 billion ($89.50 billion), while the GI-related producing sectors of the E.U. currently occupy around 400,000 employees and contribute more than €20 billion ($24.20 billion) to the Union’s GDP.
“I am proud to see the launch of the GIview portal, developed by the E.U. Intellectual Property Office,” Janusz Wojciechowski, the European Commissioner for Agriculture, said. “This platform is a great tool to give further publicity to our famous European geographical indications and those protected under our international agreements.”
“Every E.U.-registered geographical indication has a story behind it, reflecting the variety and wealth of products that our continent has to offer,” he added. “My services and I will continue to look into ways to strengthen geographical indications, having shown their added-value for producers and consumers alike.”
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