EU quality policy aims to protect the names of specific products to promote their unique characteristics, linked to their geographical origin as well as traditional know-how.

Product names can be granted a 'geographical indication' (GI) if they have a specific link to the place where they are made. The GI recognition enables consumers to trust and distinguish quality products while also helping producers to market their products better.

Products that are under consideration or have been granted GI recognition are listed in geographical indications registers. The registers also include information on the geographical and production specifications for each product.

Recognised as intellectual property, geographical indications play an increasingly important role in trade negotiations between the EU and other countries.

Other EU quality schemes emphasise the traditional production process or products made in difficult natural areas such as mountains or islands.

Geographical indications establish intellectual property rights for specific products, whose qualities are specifically linked to the area of production.

The EU geographical indications system protects the names of products that originate from specific regions and have specific qualities or enjoy a reputation linked to the production territory. The differences between PDO and PGI are linked primarily to how much of the product’s raw materials must come from the area, or how much of the production process has to take place within the specific region. GI is specific for spirit drinks.

Product names registered as PDO are those that have the strongest links to the place in which they are made.

PGI emphasises the relationship between the specific geographic region and the name of the product, where a particular quality, reputation or other characteristic is essentially attributable to its geographical origin.

The GI protects the name of a spirit drink originating in a country, region or locality where the product’s particular quality, reputation or other characteristic is essentially attributable to its geographical origin.

Traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) highlights the traditional aspects, such as the way the product is made or its composition, without being linked to a specific geographical area. The name of a product being registered as a TSG protects it against falsification and misuse.

The quality term ‘mountain product’ highlights the specificities of a product, made in mountain areas, with difficult natural conditions.

Recognising this is an advantage for farmers as well as consumers. It enables farmers to market the product better but also ensures certain characteristics are clear to the consumer.

Report: Labelling of agricultural and food products of mountain farming

Agriculture in the EU’s outermost regions face difficulties due to remoteness and insularity, which brings with it difficult geographical and meteorological conditions. To ensure greater awareness of agricultural products from the EU’s outermost regions (the French Overseas Departments – Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion and Martinique – and the Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands) a dedicated logo has been created.

Voluntary certification schemes at national level or those run by private operators can also help consumers to be confident about the quality of the products they choose.

In addition to the EU schemes, a large number of private and national food quality schemes or logos exist, covering a wide range of initiatives and operating between businesses or between businesses and consumers.

In consultation with stakeholders, the European Commission developed guidelines showing best practice for the operation of such schemes.

The Commission has adopted a number of regulations on the application of quality schemes:

Regulations on food and agricultural products

Regulations on products of outermost regions

On 31 March 2022, the Commission adopted a proposal for a regulation on GIs for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, and other quality schemes for agricultural products. The proposal aims to increase the uptake of GIs across the EU in order to benefit the rural economy and achieve a higher level of protection for products, especially online. 

The Commission has proposed the following measures, among others, to strengthen and improve the existing system:

The Commission's proposal is the result of an extensive consultation process. An inception impact assessment was published in October 2020. This was followed by a public consultation between January and April 2021, as well as targeted consultations with EU countries and relevant stakeholder organisations.

As part of the EU’s system of IPRs, names of products registered as GIs are legally protected against imitation and misuse within the EU and in non-EU countries where a specific protection agreement has been signed.

For all quality schemes, each EU country’s competent national authorities take the necessary measures to protect the registered names within their territory. They should also prevent and stop the unlawful production or marketing of products using such a name.

Non-European product names can also register as GIs if their country of origin has a bilateral or regional agreement with the EU that includes the mutual protection of such names.

The names of various products (wine, food and spirit drinks) produced in several countries outside the EU, such as Colombia or South Africa, have been protected.

GIs applied for and entered in the Union registers may be consulted on eAmbrosia (the official database of EU GI registers), while both EU and non-EU GIs protected under agreements can be consulted on the GIview portal.