The first meeting of the Joint Committee established under the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova on the Protection of Geographical Indications of Agricultural Products and Foodstuffs (hereinafter – Agreement ) took place on 22 January 2014, within the premises of the Ministry of Economy, being chaired by Deputy Minister of Economy, Octavian CALMIC. From AGEPI in the meeting participated Deputy Director General Svetlana MUNTEANU and Deputy Director of the Promotion and Publishing Department, Head of the International Relations and European Cooperation Division Liliana VIERU.
On the part of the Republic of Moldova in the meeting participated representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), Customs Service (CS), Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration and Consumer Protection Agency (CPA), and on the part of the European Union – representatives of the General Direction for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission and of the European Delegation to the Republic of Moldova.
In accordance with the provisions of the Agreement, it was approved the Rules of the Procedure of the Joint Committee and the Committee Chairmanship for 2014, on a proposal from the EC delegation, went to the Republic of Moldova.
One of the basic topics on the agenda of the meeting was the exchange of the lists of geographical indications (GIs) to be mutually protected, according to the Agreement. Thus, the Republic of Moldova presented a list of four GIs newly registered with the AGEPI during 2013 – CODRU, VALUL LUI TRAIAN and STEFAN VODA for wines and DIVIN for old wine brandy. They will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union. After completing satisfactorily the opposition and examination procedures, these IGs will be protected in the European Union and local producers who have the right to use these IGs, will fully benefit from the advantages of these powerful tools to promote high value-added products.
Another topic of discussion referred to the implementation of the Agreement. AGEPI representatives made a brief presentation of the national system of protection of GIs, as well as actions undertaken to inform the public about the provisions of the Agreement, and in order to create the information framework necessary for its implementation, including to create and provide access to online database “Geographical Indications”, which was launched on 01.04.2013 (date of entry into force of the Agreement). The respective database can be accessed on the AGEPI website http://www.db.agepi.md/GeogrIndications/SearchGI.aspx and is made available to all users, including institutions responsible for the enforcement of IP. It should be mentioned that the given information is used in the substantive examination of applications for registration of trademarks, GIs, industrial designs in order to avoid registration of IP objects that would include the EU GIs protected under the Agreement.
In turn, MAI, SV and CPA representatives informed the participants on the measures taken to implement the Agreement.
At the proposal of the EU party, in the meeting were also discussed some aspects dealing with the draft revision of the Lisbon Agreement of 31 October 1958 for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and Their International Registration to which the Republic of Moldova is party since 05.04.2001. It should be mentioned that AGEPI actively participates in the meetings of the Working Group on the Development of the Lisbon System, established in the World Intellectual Property Organization.
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AGEPI reminds that the Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova on the Protection of Geographical Indications of Agricultural Products and Foodstuffs was signed on 26 June 2012 in Brussels and came into force on 01.04.2013.
Through this Agreement, the Parties undertake to mutually respect and protect geographical indications, including also appellations of origin, registered according to the legislation of each party.
Source: AGEPI
