Actions against the illegal use of the alleged trademark ‘Turkaegean’
29.6.2022
Priority question for written answer P-002340/2022
to the Commission
Rule 138
Eva Kaili (S&D)
The Turkish Ministry of Tourism has registered the word ‘Turkaegean’ as an official EU trademark with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)[1]. The registration was performed by a representative in Spain, granting Turkey the right of exclusive use of this alleged trademark for a wide variety of services ranging from tourism to TV, even including social media.
‘Turkaegean’ combines the name of a non‑EU country (Turkey) with the Aegean Sea, Islands and coasts. It constitutes another example of Turkey’s aggressive foreign policy against the EU and its Member States, especially Greece and Cyprus.
In addition, the registration of the above‑mentioned word as an EU trademark is itself illegal according to EU and international legislation, as it is deliberately misleading, presenting the Aegean Sea, Islands and coasts as Turkish.
Given the above, I would like to ask the Commission the following questions:
- 1.Will it take immediate action to have Turkaegean removed from the EUIPO registry to force Turkey to immediately stop using the word?
- 2.Will it launch an urgent inquiry to investigate liability for this violation of EU law stemming from EUIPO’s registering of such an unacceptable trademark?
- 3.Will the Commission publicly and officially declare that Turkey has no right to use the above‑mentioned word?
- [1] https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/#basic/1+1+1+1/turkaegean