EUROPE
November 25, 2025
As of December 1st, 2025, artisanal and industrial products will fully benefit from an EU-wide Geographical Indication (GIs) protection throughout the European Union, under Regulation (EU) 2023/2411.
At UNGRIA, we welcome this new system, that finally addresses the urgent need to protect artisanal and industrial producers and strengthens a vital cultural heritage in the artisanal and industrial sectors, as well as improving the trust and visibility of traditional products which essential characteristics arise precisely in their origin.
We are referring to a much-needed innovation, which will undoubtedly provide a significant boost for artisanal and industrial product manufacturers who, as in the case of the GI system for agricultural products, will be able to use the official "protected geographical indication" symbol to indicate that the product complies with the relevant product specifications.
Geographical Indication protection
This new protection system, in addition to providing an incentive for producers, developing traditional skills, and even attracting tourism, will undoubtedly protect the market by giving producers the legal capacity to take action against the illicit production or marketing of products using protected names, thus offering consumers assurances that they are purchasing authentic products.
At the procedural level, the Regulation contemplates a simple and efficient registration proceeding of GIs for artisanal and industrial products, provided that they meet the three relevant criteria for benefiting from protection:
- The product must originate in a specific place, region, or country;
- Its specific quality, reputation, or other characteristic must be essentially attributable to its geographical origin, and;
- At least one of its production stages must take place in the defined geographical area.
GI registration and examination will take place in two phases:
- At a national level: producers will submit their geographical indication applications to the designated national authorities;
- At the EU level: applications that pass the national phase will be subject to evaluation and approval by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
In exceptional cases where an EU country lacks a national competent authority, the EUIPO will carry out the national phase of the procedure with support from a single contact point in the EU country.
Once registration of the geographical indication is published in the Union register, producers can place the "protected geographical indication" symbol on the products and its labeling. Any producer located in the geographical area who meets the conditions set out in the specification will be entitled to use the registered GI.
Europe is taking a step forward and, in addition to protecting "what is grown," is extending protection to "what is manufactured."
Geographical Indication attorneys
At UNGRIA we celebrate this new regulation and we are ready to protect the work of those who, decade after decade and following ancestral know how, have contributed to the development of a valuable tradition that makes some artisanal and industrial products unique, deserving our full recognition and protection.
We have a team of attorneys specialized in protected Geographical Indications who can advise and assist you in protecting your artisanal or industrial products.