Organisation pour un réseau international d’indications géographiques
oriGIn
1.
ID: 2292357633-53
Lobbying Activity
Meeting with Joao Onofre (Head of Unit Agriculture and Rural Development) and Insight Consulting SRL
18 Mar 2025 · Exchange of views on upcoming GI events – state of play
Response to Evaluation of the Public Procurement Directives
28 Feb 2025
oriGIn EU would like to provide its views concerning the evaluation of the public procurement directives. OriGIn EU supports the European Commissions objective to make full use of the potential of the European Unions (EU) public procurement market and to give preference to European products in public procurement for certain strategic sectors. This would provide strong support for the sectors concerned by stimulating demand and production. The support that public procurement can provide to food products is of great importance. This is demonstrated by the USDA announcement on December 2024 that it would invest $1.2 billion to support the purchase by US schools of locally and regionally produced foods. OriGIn EU considers that EU should follow suit and that it should include European Geographical Indications (GI) food products in the list of strategic products. Incorporating agri-food GIs into public procurement strategies would be extremely beneficial as it would: Contribute to food security in the EU Benefit the economy of many EU regions, in particular of disadvantage areas where a lot of European GI products sustainability originate Guarantee that the products purchased are authentic and of EU origin Support the production and consumption of traditional and diverse quality products in the EU Contribute to the preservation of European local know how and savoir-faire as each product that benefits from a GI carries a story of authenticity, know-how, quality and dedication passed down through generations Promote the richness and variety of the EU food diets and cultures Help overcome the urban-rural divide OriGIn EU looks forward to the revision of the Public Procurement Directive and calls for keeping food procurement simple and practical. oriGIn EU is theEuropean branch of the Geographical Indications(GIs) global alliance (https://www.origin-gi.com). Its mission is to advocate for the protection and promotion of products whose quality and reputation are linked to their geographical origin, a concept known as a geographical indication and/or designation of origin. OriGIn EU represents individual European GIs groups as well as national GIs organisations.
Read full responseMeeting with Elisabetta Siracusa (Director Agriculture and Rural Development)
20 Jan 2025 · oriGIn EU periodical meeting with DG AGRI on international trade agreements
Meeting with Marko Vešligaj (Member of the European Parliament) and European Federation of Origin Wines
16 Jan 2025 · European agriculture - MERCOSOUR agreement, geographical indicators and professional farmer challenges
Meeting with Tomas Baert (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen) and European farmers and
3 Dec 2024 · Trade tensions - strategic thinking for agri-food trade
Response to Evaluation of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement
24 Oct 2024
You can find oriGIn EU evaluation of the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement in the document enclosed. The EU-Japan trade agreement has significantly enhanced economic ties, particularly through its focus on geographical indications (GIs), which protect European products linked to specific regions. GIs are crucial for European trade, accounting for about 20% of EU food and beverage exports. The agreement has protected over 200 European GIs in Japan, boosting exports of products like wine, spirits, and cheese. However, challenges remain, such as Japan's non-recognition of regionalisation, which limits exports of GI pork products due to disease outbreaks. Continued dialogue and enforcement cooperation are essential to strengthening GI protections and addressing trade challenges.
Read full responseResponse to Brain drain communication
20 Jun 2022
oriGIn EU is the European branch of the global alliance of GIs (https://www.origin-gi.com ). Its mission is to
ensure better protection and promotion of GIs. oriGIn EU represents individual European GIs groups as well as
national GIs organisations.
Brain drain, the loss of qualified people - often young and educated workforce - is a huge chal-lenge for local communities throughout the European Union. This is particularly true in rural areas,
in particular less-favoured or remote areas where qualified jobs can be scarce.
Over generations, across the EU, people have been producing products with a geographical indi-cation (GI). GIs are products linked to the products’ geographical origin and the producers’ know-how. They identify a good as originating in a specific place (national, regional or local level) where a particular quality, reputation or other characteristics are essentially attributable to its geograph-ical origin. As such, GIs are part of the EU’s cultural heritage and contribute to the social and envi-ronmental sustainability of the economy.
It has been demonstrated that GIs bring considerable benefit to the rural economy, by creating different types of jobs directly and indirectly in the territories concerned. Many of these GIs are ambassadors of the food and drink quality tradition and culture of Europe. Craft and Industrial GIs also benefit the rural world. They are produced, in accordance with a specific savoir-faire that requires specific skills, they need qualified workers to manage their production, marketing and sales strategy in the EU and beyond. GIs also bring added value to producers that can offer inter-esting jobs and a higher standard of living.
Given that there is a clear link between brain drain and population decline in rural areas, it seems clear that part of the solution lies in revaluing the countryside and the opportunities it offers. In fact, promoting rural jobs and growth must go through a strong valorisation of the agricultural production of quality food. As GIs contribute largely to the development of a specific area and often attract tourism, they dissuade citizens from leaving and give them reasons to stay or to come to these regions. GIs also help to bring back the rural population when a new GI is recognized as the rural territory becomes attractive for tourism and creates new jobs opportunity.
In short, without GIs and a network of GIs throughout the EU, there will be no activity in certain territories. GIs have shown that they are essential, particularly to combat brain drain. They are synonymous with a qualified workforce in high demand, are a bulwark against the standardisation of European agriculture, help maintain local biodiversity, and create a form of GI tourism in rural areas... Strengthening the GI policy at the European level is therefore essential to allow GIs to continue to bring benefits to disadvantaged areas of the EU and to solve problems in regions suffering from population decline.
Read full responseResponse to Fight against counterfeiting
3 Mar 2022
oriGIn EU is the European branch of the global alliance of GIs (https://www.origin-gi.com). Its mission is to ensure better protection and promotion of GIs before the EU institutions. oriGIn EU represents individual European GIs groups as well as national GIs organisations.
oriGIn EU welcomes the Commission initiative to consult with stakeholders and citizens regarding the revision of EU rules on the initiative on the EU Toolbox against counterfeiting.
Please find enclosed oriGIn EU position to the call for evidence on the EU toolbox against counterfeiting.
Read full responseMeeting with Janusz Wojciechowski (Commissioner) and
27 Jan 2022 · 2022 Annual Work Programme of the EU Promotion Policy
9 Mar 2021
Please find attached the position of oriGIn EU on the review of the policy on promotion inside and outside the EU.
Read full responseResponse to Geographical indication protection at EU level for non-agricultural products
17 Jan 2021
We are glad to submit oriGIn feedback to the Inception Impact Assessment on GI protection at the EU level for non-agricultural products.
Read full response23 Nov 2020
oriGIn EU is the European branch of the global alliance of GIs (https://www.origin-gi.com). Its mission is to ensure better protection and promotion of GIs before the EU institutions. oriGIn EU represents individual European GIs groups as well as national GIs organisations.
At the end of 2018, 3872 EU GIs were protected in the EU, including 1942 wines, 1652 agricultural products and foodstuffs, 273 spirits and 5 aromatised wine products. In value terms, the EU market for geographical indications represents more than €55 billion and they account for more than 15% of total EU food and drink exports.
The role played by EU food quality scheme, and in particular GIs is widely demonstrated at producers, consumers and society’s levels. Expectations in terms of quality, diversity and rural development are rapidly changing though. The on-going debate on the future of the CAP shows a strong demand for a renewed agricultural policy, which takes into account the contribution of agriculture to the pursuit of environmental, social and economic objectives as well as to the society as a whole. For this reason, oriGIn EU acknowledges the EU quality policy as a public policy aiming at delivering public goods to the whole European society. As such, it should be considered a major pillar of the Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy for a transition towards a European sustainable food system.
In fact, EU quality policy already contributes to several fundamental objectives of F2F strategy in particular: addressing citizens demand for a variety of traditional products with the highest possible standards of food safety and quality; ensuring economic sustainability thanks to conditions of fair competition and higher producers income; ensuring sustainable food production through the protection of rural landscape and sustainable management and reproduction of natural resources; and providing clear communication to consumers concerning product characteristics and origin. Furthermore, geographical indications (GIs) traceability and protection mechanism represent an important and efficient tool to combatting food fraud.
oriGIn EU welcomes the Commission initiative to consult with stakeholders and citizens regarding the revision of the EU Geographical Indications’ system. We firmly believe that this initiative is fundamental to strengthen EU quality policy and maximise GIs potential, as well as their contribution to F2F strategy. Finally, our organisation and its members have long been involved in the process of protection, promotion and valorisation of Geographical Indications. In light of the expertise present in the network, we ask the European Commission to be associated in the revision process of the EU quality policy, especially in the framework of the forthcoming consultations, but also in the different forums that will be launched at EU level.
All this considered, to ensure the EU remains the world leader in quality product and sustainable rural development, and to strengthen GIs legal framework, we believe that changes are needed.
Read full responseResponse to EU-Mongolia agreement on protection of geographical indications
9 Jul 2019
oriGIn EU is the European branch of the Geographical Indications (GIs) global alliance (https://www.origin-gi.com). Its mission is to advocate for solid protection as well as promotion of GI products.
oriGIn EU welcome the EC initiative to conclude a GI bilateral Agreement with Mongolia. However, we would like to share with you some of our comments:
• Even though we understand the principle of GI lists, we would favour a list that would include as many GIs as possible. All GIs registered by the EC should be granted a high level of direct protection in all agreements signed by the EU.
• Any departure from the full protection of EU GIs through an agreement should fully reflect the legal and market situation in the counterpart’s jurisdiction.
• GI Producers’ organisation should always be consulted in a comprehensive manner to assess their willingness and need to be protected under the commercial agreements. Therefore, in the context of the EU/Mongolia agreement, we think producers’ organisations should be able to:
o Provide comments on the proposed lists before they are exchanged with the negotiating partner.
o Receive, with a reasonable amount of time, the arguments of any opposition against the protection of a given GI;
o Provide the adequate arguments to respond to any opposition, to enhance the transparency of the all process.
• Finally, any departure from full protection concerning a EU GI in a foreign jurisdiction cannot be agreed without the informed consent of the concerned GI group. In closed coordination with Member States, groups should also be given the possibility to take off the list the GIs they represent, should they consider the level of protection secured in a given agreement detrimental;
• Furthermore, we would like to remind the importance of keeping the inscription to the bilateral register open to GIs not included in the first list, as well as GIs registered after the entry into force of the relevant trade agreement. We also consider extremely important that the registration process remains open to future GIs.
Read full responseResponse to Evaluation of Geographical Indications and Traditional Specialities Guaranteed protected in the EU
24 May 2019
oriGIn EU is the European antenna of the global alliance of Geographical Indications (https://www.origin-gi.com). Its mission is to ensure better protection and promotion of GIs. oriGIn EU represents individual European GIs groups as well as national GIs organisations.
The aim of this evaluation should be to measure as precisely as possible the added-value and effectiveness of GI protection in the EU, in particular the role that GIs play in many region across the EU where there is often little alternative to GI production.
With regard to the roadmap proposed, oriGIn EU considers that the scope and objective of this evaluation should be extended, so that it can:
- provide a good overview of the implementation of GI controls and certification systems in the Member States and provide solutions to improve them to ensure a high level of GI protection and a coherent implementation of the PDO, PGI and GIs ex officio protection across Member States.
- analyse the way GI producer groups are structured in the different Member States to better understand the nature and prerogatives of PDO, PGI and GIs groups.
- analyse the implementation of the supply management schemes
- include in its scope GIs that are protected via bilateral agreements
- include an economic analysis of GI markets
oriGIn EU would be glad to exchange with the stakeholders responsible for the studies.
Read full responseMeeting with Cristina Rueda Catry (Cabinet of Commissioner Phil Hogan)
30 Jan 2017 · Perspectives pour les IG européennes en 2017