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Revision of the EU geographical indications scheme

  • Geographical indications
  • Labelling

Summary

Regulation 2024/1143 provides general rules on geographical indications (GIs) for wine, spirit drinks, and agricultural products, as well as on traditional specialties guaranteed (TSGs) and optional quality terms. Since 18 January 2025, additional rules apply for registrations, amendments, cancellations, enforcement of protection, labelling, and communication (Regulation 2025/26), and additional rules for registration and protection of GIs (Regulation 2025/27).

EU revises geographical indications scheme protecting product names

Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 on geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, as well as traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms for agricultural products, amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013, (EU) 2019/787 and (EU) 2019/1753 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/26 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 as regards registrations, amendments, cancellations, enforcement of the protection, labelling and communication in respect of geographical indications and traditional specialities guaranteed, and amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/34 as regards geographical indications in the wine sector, and repealing Implementing Regulations (EU) No 668/2014 and (EU) 2021/1236

Commission Delegated Regulations of 30 October 2024: 2025/27; 2025/28; 2025/29

Update

Regulation 2024/1143 provides general rules on geographical indications (GIs) for wine, spirit drinks, and agricultural products, as well as on traditional specialties guaranteed (TSGs) and optional quality terms. Since 18 January 2025, additional rules apply for registrations, amendments, cancellations, enforcement of protection, labelling, and communication (Regulation 2025/26), and additional rules for registration and protection of GIs (Regulation 2025/27).

What is changing?

Overview

Regulation 2024/1143 makes the protection of GIs more uniform. It also establishes a system of protection for TSGs, and optional quality terms for agricultural products and spirit drinks (not for wine, which is covered by specific Regulations). It mainly replaces previous rules on quality schemes for agri-food products that were set by Regulation 1151/2012.

It is complemented by Regulations 2025/26 and 2025/27, which explain the procedures to apply for registrations, or to amend or cancel them. These Regulations also cover the enforcement of protection, labelling of GIs and TSGs, submissions of opposition, and other elements. Table 1 lists the templates provided in the Annexes to Regulation 2025/26.

Additional Regulations align existing rules on GIs and TSGs for wine (Regulation 2025/28 supplementing Regulation 1308/2013), and repeal some previous rules (Regulation 2025/29).

A clear overview of the changes can be seen in Annex IV of Regulation 2024/1143, which compares previous Regulations with the updated rules.

Improving online protection of GIs

The misuse of GIs is particularly prevalent in online marketplaces, with around double the average number of violations as in traditional marketplaces (European Commission 2021). The establishment of domain names similar or identical to GIs was previously not illegal. Regulation 2024/1143 (Art. 26) extends the protection of GIs to information provided on websites and domain names accessible in the EU.

Pursuing sustainability goals

Regulation 2024/1143 recognises the contribution of GIs to sustainability, including to circular economies. In the case of producer groups, they may agree on a voluntary basis to sustainable practices in the production of GI designated products (Art. 7). These practices contribute to at least one of the three main areas of sustainability: environmental, social, and economic, and are intended to result in higher sustainability standards than those that are mandatory in EU or national laws.

Where a producer group decides that the sustainable practices are mandatory for all producers, these practices can be included in the GI product specification [Art. 7(3)]. Producer groups can communicate on their sustainable practices by publishing and updating a sustainability report (Art. 8), and this is made public by the European Commission.

Improving recognition of EU GI symbols

There is limited public awareness of EU quality logos (e.g. only 20% of consumers surveyed recognised the PGI logo), and there is confusion between the different labelling schemes (European Commission 2021). Regulation 2024/1143 aims to ensure better understanding among consumers of the different quality symbols, indications, and abbreviations.

For agricultural products, the following rules apply to the use of EU symbols on packaging (labelling and advertising materials):

  • displaying the PGI and PDO symbols is voluntary for non-EU country products and mandatory for EU products (with the exception of spirit drinks) (Art. 37)
  • displaying the TSG symbol is voluntary for non-EU country products and mandatory for EU products (Art. 70).

The symbols that should be used to identify PGI, PGO, and TSG are provided in Regulation 2025/26, Annex XVII.

These symbols may also be used when labelling and advertising processed products where the GI is relevant to an ingredient.

Other key improvements

  • Online register: The EU digital register of GIs, eAmbrosia, offers easy access to information on registered names, product specifications, and status updates on ongoing applications. The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) maintains and updates eAmbrosia (Regulations 2024/1143 Art. 22; 2025/26 Art. 16).
  • Electronic submissions: Applications for registration of GIs (Regulation 2024/1143 Art. 14) and TSGs (Art. 58), as well as amendments (Regulation 2025/26 Arts. 10, 28) should be submitted online on eAmbrosia.
  • Standard forms: Templates must now be used for each step of the procedures linked to GI (registration, amendments, etc.), as given in the Annexes to Regulation 2025/26 – see Table 1.
  • Opposition procedures: the procedures for GI are explained in Regulation 2024/1143 Art. 17; those for TSG are given in Regulations 2024/1143 (Art. 61), 2025/26 (Art. 26), and 2025/27 (Art. 10).
  • Attestations of compliance enable operators to use a registered PDO/PGI or TSG if their agricultural products or spirit drinks comply with the relevant product specification in Regulation 2024/1143: for PDO/PGI (Art. 39) or for TSG (Art. 72). Operators requesting the verification of compliance have to cover the costs involved. If a product is found to comply with the product specification, an attestation of compliance is provided allowing the use of PDO/PGI (Art. 45) or TSG (Art. 77). This attestation can be delivered online (Regulation 2025/26 Art. 17). (Rules for compliance with GIs for wine are set in Regulation 1308/2013.)

Why?

Regulation 2024/1143 and the additional Regulations published in early 2025 aim to ensure uniform recognition and protection throughout the EU for the intellectual property rights related to protected names.

Timeline

All the provisions of Regulation 2024/1143 apply from 1 January 2025.

Regulations 2025/26, 2025/27, 2025/28, and 2025/29 apply from 18 January 2025.

Recommended Actions

These new rules do not create a significant additional workload for non-EU applicants registering GIs or TSGs within the EU.

An application to register a GI can be made by a producer group or – under some circumstances – a single producer. Where a geographical area crosses the border between two countries, a joint application may be made by several groups (Regulation 2024/1143 Art. 9).

The documentation to apply for registration (in one of the EU official languages) is listed in Regulation 2024/1143:

  • PDO/PGI: Art. 13(2)
  • TSG: Art. 57 (as amended by Regulation 2025/26 Art. 21).

For more details about applying for registration of GIs, see Geographical indications for agricultural products and foodstuffs explained.

Attestation of compliance: Non-EU countries that have obtained a protected name (GI or TSG) in the EU still need to demonstrate compliance with the relevant product specification every time they place their product on the EU market. Compliance can be verified by competent authorities or a product certification body in the non-EU-country (Regulation 2024/1143 Arts. 39 and 77). The attestation of compliance can be provided in paper or electronic form.

Background

Regulation 2024/1143 replaces Regulation 1151/2012 concerning GIs for wine, spirit drinks, and agricultural products, as well as other quality schemes. For more information on GI and other EU quality schemes, see Geographical indications for agricultural products and foodstuffs explained.

Resources

Sources

Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 on geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, as well as traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms for agricultural products, amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013, (EU) 2019/787 and (EU) 2019/1753 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/26 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards registrations, amendments, cancellations, enforcement of the protection, labelling and communication in respect of geographical indications and traditional specialities guaranteed, and amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/34 as regards geographical indications in the wine sector, and repealing Implementing Regulations (EU) No 668/2014 and (EU) 2021/1236

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/27 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council with rules concerning the registration and the protection of geographical indications, traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms and repealing Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/28 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards applications for protection of designations of origin, geographical indications and traditional terms in the wine sector, the objection procedure, restrictions of use, amendments to product specifications, cancellation of protection, and labelling and presentation

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/29 repealing Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1235 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2019/787 of the European Parliament and of the Council with rules concerning applications for registration of geographical indications of spirit drinks, amendments to product specifications, cancellation of the registration and the register

Tables & Figures

AG00066_Table1_26-01-25

Source: based on Regulation 2025/26 Annexes I–XVIII

Disclaimer: Under no circumstances shall COLEAD be liable for any loss, damage, liability or expense incurred or suffered that is claimed to have resulted from the use of information available on this website or any link to external sites. The use of the website is at the user’s sole risk and responsibility. This information platform was created and maintained with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents do not, however, reflect the views of the European Union.

EU revises geographical indications scheme protecting product names

Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 on geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, as well as traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms for agricultural products, amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013, (EU) 2019/787 and (EU) 2019/1753 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/26 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 as regards registrations, amendments, cancellations, enforcement of the protection, labelling and communication in respect of geographical indications and traditional specialities guaranteed, and amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/34 as regards geographical indications in the wine sector, and repealing Implementing Regulations (EU) No 668/2014 and (EU) 2021/1236

Commission Delegated Regulations of 30 October 2024: 2025/27; 2025/28; 2025/29

What is changing and why?

Regulation 2024/1143 replaces many of the previous rules (Regulation 1151/2012) on geographical indications (GIs) for wine, spirit drinks, and agri-food products, as well as on traditional specialities guaranteed (TSGs). It simplifies and aligns procedures related to GIs and TSGs, including applications for new registrations, changes to a registration, controls, and labelling, among others.

Additional related Regulations 2025/26 and 2025/27 provide more detail, and Regulation 2025/29 repeals some previous rules. Regulation 2025/28 aligns the existing rules on GI and TSG specifically for wine.

Some of the changes introduced by these new Regulations are:

  • extending protection of GIs to information provided on websites and domain names accessible in the EU
  • setting rules about the use of symbols indicating protected geographical indication (PGI), protected designation of origin (PDO), and TSG on the packaging of agri-food products
  • providing specific symbols for producers to use that identify PGI, PDO, and TSG products
  • providing easy access to information on registered names, product specifications, and status updates on ongoing applications via the EU’s digital GI register eAmbrosia
  • enabling electronic submissions on eAmbrosia of applications for registration of GIs and TSGs, and for changes to registered names
  • providing standard templates to use for each step of the procedures linked to GI (registration, amendments, etc.) (see Table 1)
  • enabling operators to obtain an attestation of compliance for a registered PDO, PGI, or TSG if their agri-food products or spirit drinks comply with the product specification.

The GIs and TSG schemes protect the names of products with unique characteristics that are linked to their geographical origin and traditional know-how. Geographical indications are intellectual property, and so are important for trade between the EU and other countries. For more information on GI and other EU quality schemes, see Geographical indications for agricultural products and foodstuffs explained.

By setting a uniform system of recognition and protection throughout the EU for the intellectual property rights linked to GI, these Regulations contribute to better consumer understanding of the different quality symbols.

Actions

These new rules do not create a significant additional workload for non-EU applicants registering GIs or TSGs within the EU.

More details about applying for registration of GIs can be found in Geographical indications for agricultural products and foodstuffs explained.

Products from non-EU countries with a protected name (GI or TSG) can only be placed on the EU market if accompanied by an attestation of compliance following verification by the national competent authorities or a product certification body. The attestation of compliance can be provided in paper or electronic form.

Timeline

All the provisions of Regulation 2024/1143 apply from 1 January 2025.

The related Regulations 2025/26, 2025/27, 2025/28, and 2025/29 apply from 18 January 2025.

Tables & Figures

AG00066_Table1_26-01-25

Source: based on Regulation 2025/26 Annexes I–XVIII

Disclaimer: Under no circumstances shall COLEAD be liable for any loss, damage, liability or expense incurred or suffered that is claimed to have resulted from the use of information available on this website or any link to external sites. The use of the website is at the user’s sole risk and responsibility. This information platform was created and maintained with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents do not, however, reflect the views of the European Union.