The 3rd meeting of the Geographical Indications Sub-Committee, established in accordance with Article 276 of the Strategic Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, took place On 16 January 2025.

The meeting was organized in videoconference format and was chaired by Natalia Mogol, Deputy Director General of the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI) from the Republic of Moldova and, from Great Britain, by Simon Crabbe, Head of Geographical Indications and Alcoholic Drinks Directorate, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The meeting was also attended by experts from AGEPI, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry.

In accordance with the draft agenda agreed by the parties, changes and updates that must be made to the lists of geographical indications in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Moldova protected by virtue of the Agreement were discussed during the current meeting. The parties also exchanged information on recent developments in the field of geographical indications and activities planned in the short and medium term in terms of legislative and institutional changes in the field.

The GI Sub-Committee was established in accordance with Article 276 of the Strategic Partnership, Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, signed in Chisinau on 24 December 2020 and provisionally entered into force on 1 January 2021.

According to its mandate, the Geographical Indications Sub-Committee is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Agreement in the field of geographical indications and serves as a platform for cooperation and dialogue on GI matters between the UK and the Republic of Moldova.