Revision of the EU legislation on geographical indications of agricultural and food products

The EU implements a quality policy (quality schemes) aimed at protecting the names of certain agricultural and food products. The objective is to promote the unique features of these products linked to their geographical origin (geographical indication) as well as the traditional know-how behind their production (traditional speciality guaranteed). The EU rules on quality schemes have been established by a number of regulations adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. Recently published studies show that, although the implementation of the EU legislative framework is assessed positively, certain shortages need to be addressed so that the quality schemes can deliver to their full potential and support the achievement of the objectives of the 'farm to fork' strategy adopted by the European Commission in May 2020 as a cornerstone of the European Green Deal. The Commission work programme for 2021 therefore envisages the submission of a proposal for a revision of the legislative framework in the fourth quarter of the year. This briefing presents the findings of publicly accessible sources on the implementation of the EU legislative framework that will be revised.