Reacting to the conclusion of the negotiations on a bilateral agreement to protect 100 European Geographical Indications (GI) in China and 100 Chinese GI in the EU against imitations and usurpation, Inmaculada Rodriguez-Piñero, S&D MEP responsible for trade policy with China, said:

“Today’s agreement between EU and China on geographical indicators is a breakthrough in the fight against imitation and usurpation. From now on, China and the EU will reciprocally respect 100 Geographical Indicators like Rioja and Manchego. This is excellent news for European farmers and consumers. We Socialists and Democrats will keep up the fight to protect our consumers and industries from unfair competition.”

Note to the editor:

EU quality schemes are designed to protect the names of specific products to promote their unique characteristics, linked to their geographical origin as well as traditional know-how. 3,300 EU names are registered as either Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) or Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). The market for EU geographical indications is around €74.8 billion, and together they account for 15.4% of total EU food and drinks exports.