On 28-29 January 2025, the city of Alicante, Spain, hosted the International Geographical Indications (GI) Conference “Safeguarding our Heritage, Cultivating our Future”. The event was organised by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), in collaboration with the European Commission, through the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) and the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI).
The conference was attended by leaders in the field of intellectual property, representatives of producer associations, national authorities responsible for the protection of geographical indications, members of the business community, policy makers, legal experts and representatives of law enforcement institutions.
The aim of the conference was to address in an inclusive and comprehensive format the new European regulations on the protection of geographical indications for craft and industrial products, adopted in October 2023, as well as the recent reform of the GI system for wines, spirits and agricultural products, announced in April 2024. The event’s agenda included topics such as improving the protection of traditional products, promoting rural sustainability and increasing the economic competitiveness of local producers.
Representatives of the European Commission, EUIPO, as well as national authorities responsible for implementing Community legislation on GIs, presented the latest developments in the field, focusing on the common points and also on the differences between the two systems: the GI system for industrial and craft products and the GI system for food, wines and spirits. A key role was played by representatives of traditional product producers, who expressed their views on the impact of the new regulations on the development of traditional businesses and their expectations from the implementation of the new regulations, especially in terms of ensuring sustainability, developing local communities and safeguarding traditional cultural heritage, including endangered crafts.
The Republic of Moldova was represented by delegates from the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI), who actively participated in the sessions dedicated to the exchange of good practices and international cooperation in the field of geographical indications.
The conference provided a valuable platform for collaboration and promotion of good practices in the field of geographical indications, while strengthening the efforts of European states, including the Republic of Moldova, to valorize the opportunities offered by the recent reform of the EU GI system for the benefit of producers and consumers.
By participating in this event, AGEPI reaffirms the commitment of the Republic of Moldova to support local producers, to align with the acquis communautaire and to protect traditional products, using the quality schemes offered by the geographical indications system to promote Moldovan products on the national and European market.
The participation of the delegation from the Republic of Moldova in the GIs Conference in Alicante was possible thanks to the support provided by the Project “Strengthening Intellectual Property Rights in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine” (EU4IP), funded by the European Union and implemented by EUIPO.
