Sitemap

European Trademark Of Geographical Origin And For Products From Serbia

CorD Recommends

Mercator Inks €30 Million Deal to Acquire Tuš, Boosting Market Dominance

Slovenia's foremost retail giant, Mercator, has officially...

Speed Business Meeting: Bridging Global Business Ties

A premier Speed Business Meeting was recently...

Ananas Initiates Regional Expansion into North Macedonia

Ananas e-commerce, a branch of Miroslav Mišković's...

Nine Serbian Firms Among Southeast Europe’s Top 100 Companies

Nine Serbian companies have secured spots on...

EU and U.S. Urge Western Balkans to Pursue EU Membership

During the EU-Western Balkans summit hosted by the "Friends of Europe" think tank in Brussels, Miroslav Lajčak, the EU's...

Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak to Become a Serbian Citizen

Steve Wozniak, the acclaimed American computer engineer and co-founder of Apple, along with his wife, is set to become...

22 Countries Commit to Tripling Nuclear Energy by 2050 in Climate Change Battle

Leaders and top officials from 22 nations have signed a declaration to triple nuclear energy production by 2050, as...

Serbia and Italy Sign Innovation Cooperation Agreements at Forum

At the Italy-Serbia Innovation Forum "Creating Business through Innovation," three agreements and a memorandum were signed, as announced by...

Minister Dačić Received the Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta in a Farewell Visit

The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, Ivica Dačić, received in...

In the third quarter of this year, we will compete for three products – Arilje raspberry, Fruska Gora linden honey and Pirot cheese, and in the future, the candidates are Futoski cabbage, Srem kulen and Leskovac ajvar.

Even in the years of the pandemic, the countries of the European Union did not stop working on the registration of products with geographical origin in the common European database. This is another indicator that food with a special label brings higher profits to producers but also to these countries.

In 2020 alone, more than 30 products with a geographical origin were entered in a special EU register, of which Croatia managed to get the stamp of as many as four local products, and the last one is a mining rake – an autochthonous salty cake. Italy received a geographical indication for 11 products, and Greece and Cyprus were quite active in this business.

As Politika was told in the Ministry of Agriculture, Serbia, which has not registered any product at the union level so far, will apply for three products in the third quarter of this year, soon after the adoption of the law on quality schemes for agricultural and food products.

– The draft of that law has been completed and is fully harmonized with EU regulations. In accordance with the government’s program, it should be presented to the deputies in the third quarter of this year – Branislav Raketic, the head of the group for quality, declaring and labeling of food in the Ministry of Agriculture, told our paper. He reminded that Serbia has already completed three specifications for – Arilje raspberry, Fruska Gora linden honey and Pirot cheese. In the meantime, there were informal consultations with the European Commission and there were no objections. He expects that six to eight months will pass from the moment of applying until the entry of those products in the “Official Gazette” of the EU.

Raketic added that the first three products that Serbia will nominate would pave the way for others such as Srem kulen, Futoski cabbage, Leskovac ajvar and others that have a good chance to register a geographical indication in the EU as well.

– The dairy sector is especially interesting. For example, cheeses from Sjenica or Homolje that can certainly give added value. The essence is that producers primarily benefit from protection. But also to have those products on the market, to promote them as much as possible and in that way a larger number of them enter the system of protection of origin – our interlocutor emphasized.
According to an analysis by the Center for European Policies (CEP), a number of economic indicators suggest that registering quality symbols such as protected designations of origin, geographical indications and guaranteed traditional specialties usually lead to increased producers’ ability to compete in the market.

However, it is known that there can be a lot of uncertainty for manufacturers who are waiting for the outcome of registration. The most difficult phase at the European level, as it is stated, is the last or so-called period of opposition that lasts up to five months (three plus two if necessary) when other countries are allowed to express disagreement with the registration of a specific product. If such objections are well-founded and no compromise can be found, the request will be rejected.

Raketic does not believe that Serbia can have a problem with the registration of these first three products at the EU level.

– The rules are like that, but I don’t think anyone will claim the right because these are typically Serbian products. We do not expect to have objections from EU member states – said Raketic and added that eventually problems could arise for geographical areas that are shared with other countries, such as Stara Planina or part of Srem. This does not have to be a position for separation because there is an institution in EU law where, through interstate projects, some products can be jointly protected.

– But, about that later, when we get to that, we will see what is the best thing to do. We will certainly be in communication with the neighboring countries in terms of possible objections that we could have later in some of the procedures – Branislav Raketic emphasized, Politika reports.

Related Articles

Serbia to Chair CEFTA in 2024, Focus on Trade and Digitalization

In 2024, Serbia will chair the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), announced Tomislav Momirović, Minister of Internal and Foreign Trade, in Podgorica. Following the...

EU and U.S. Urge Western Balkans to Pursue EU Membership

During the EU-Western Balkans summit hosted by the "Friends of Europe" think tank in Brussels, Miroslav Lajčak, the EU's Special Representative for Dialogue, emphasized...

Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak to Become a Serbian Citizen

Steve Wozniak, the acclaimed American computer engineer and co-founder of Apple, along with his wife, is set to become a Serbian citizen, as announced...

Serbia and Italy Sign Innovation Cooperation Agreements at Forum

At the Italy-Serbia Innovation Forum "Creating Business through Innovation," three agreements and a memorandum were signed, as announced by the Government. Documents were signed between...

Swedish High-Tech Electric Ferry Sets New Public Transport Standard

Cities worldwide view clean and efficient public transportation as a key strategy for reducing carbon emissions.  For cities with waterways, a high-tech Swedish ferry...

Celebration Of 115 years Of Diplomatic Relations Between Egypt and Serbia

On Thursday, November 23, the Slavija Fountain in Belgrade was illuminated with the colors of the Egyptian flag, in honor of the celebration of...

Serbia and Cyprus Strengthen Ties with Three New Cooperation Memorandums

In a significant diplomatic event held in Belgrade, the governments of Serbia and Cyprus have inked three memorandums of understanding, reinforcing their collaboration in...

Serbia Appoints New Ambassadors to Sweden, Venezuela, Brazil, and Libya

Serbia has announced the appointment of four new ambassadors, following a decree issued by President Aleksandar Vučić.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that Jelena...