No to a strong role of the EU agency for the protection of patents (Euipo) on PDOs and to the removal of part of the rules on wines with indication of origin from the CAP.
It is the position taken on the EU reform of the PDO and PGI standards of over two hundred European wine denominations, including Franciacorta, the Barbera d'Asti and Monferrato Wine Consortium, the Marchigiano Institute for the Protection of Wines, the Castel del Monte Consortium, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano , in a letter circulating in the European Parliament and national ministries.
On the two fronts indicated, "the proposed reform of the GI policy" (which stands for product with geographical indication) is "an existential threat" for the denominations in question, reads the letter.
The European Commission wants to give a leading role to the EUIPO in the management of PDO regulations.
According to the producers, the Agency's role should be limited to managing the PDO register and an online counterfeiting alert system.
The other fear is that with the shift of some of the rules on PDO and PGI wine from the CAP to the reform being prepared at EU level, "we will no longer be able to reform the wine policy of geographical indications together with the CAP" and the part of EU institutions with agricultural expertise, "will lose the ability to define policies" for PDO and PGI wine.