A training seminar on control, verification of compliance of agricultural and agri-food products registered with appellations of origin (AO), geographical indications (GIs) or traditional specialties guaranteed (TSG) was held on March 29, at the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI).

The event was organized by the Technical Assistance Project “Support to Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in the Republic of Moldova”, financed by the European Union, in cooperation with AGEPI.

The event was attended by representatives of the authorities and institutions involved in the national geographical indications system of the Republic of Moldova, such as AGEPI, the Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment, the Applied Metrology and Certification Center, the National Agency for Food Safety, the State Inspectorate for Alcohol Production Supervision and the Agency for Consumer Protection and Market Surveillance. Also, the representatives of the Technical Assistance Project and international experts in the field were present at the event.

According to the agenda of the event, the AGEPI specialists presented the current situation and prospects for the development of geographical indications in the Republic of Moldova. Next, ANSA specialists made a presentation of the National Agency for Food Safety.

Subsequently, EU experts in the field of geographical indications talked about the importance of providing the legal and institutional framework for the promoting and use of products with GIs in the Republic of Moldova, EU experience on the system of PAO, PGI, TSG and specific objectives for the protection of appellations of origin and geographical indications. They also familiarized participants with the requirements of EU regulations, the role of control (verification of compliance with the provisions on specifications and ex officio) in food quality schemes. At the same time, foreign specialists spoke about the general rules for checking the compliance with the specifications and presented case studies and models for organizing the control system in different EU Member States.

Currently, on the territory of the Republic of Moldova are protected on the basis of registration by national route – 10 appellations of origin, including 3 local and 7 foreign, as well as 7 local geographical indications.

The Technical Assistance Project “Support to Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights”, financed by the European Union, has a duration of two years and is due to be completed in November 2018. One of the basic objectives of the project is to improve the geographical indications system in the Republic of Moldova.