On 13 February this year, the specialists of the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI) participated in the roundtable entitled “Protection of Geographical Indications”, which took place at the headquarters of the National Center for Quality Testing of Alcoholic Beverages (CNVCPA).

The event was attended by institutions involved in the system of protection, certification and control of agri-food products with protected geographical indications (PGI) and appellations of origin (PAO), namely: AGEPI, Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment, State Inspectorate for Alcohol Production Supervision (ISSPA), National Agency for Food Safety (ANSA).

The purpose of the roundtable was to exchange information on the implementation of the national system of protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in the field of geographical indications and appellations of origin, including the legal framework, implementation mechanisms, deficiencies and challenges in the field.

The event was opened by Simion Levitchi, Head of Trademarks and Industrial Design Department, who reviewed the characteristics of the geographical indications system in the Republic of Moldova, especially in the context of implementation of the provisions of the Association Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union on Geographical Indications. Subsequently, Andrei Moisei, coordinating specialist, AGEPI Training Division, presented the legal framework for ensuring rights in GIs, legal institutional competences, applied measures and sanctions.

The participants discussed the various issues related to the enforcement of geographical indications rights, the mechanisms for the protection and control of geographical indications in the internal market, as well as the means of communication between the competent institutions in the event of infringements of rights in geographical indications. A distinct subject was the mechanism for ensuring observance of EU geographical indications in the Republic of Moldova.

Finally, the Administrator of the National Center for Quality Testing of Alcoholic Beverages (CNVCPA) Victor Badareu and the Head of the State Inspectorate for Alcohol Production Supervision Andrei Gurin, were open to and interested in continuing the interinstitutional cooperation in order to strengthen the institutional capacities of the authorities with verification and control competences in the field of geographical indications, including by taking over the European best practices in the field.

Under the Association Agreement, more than 3,500 PGIs of the EU Member States are protected in the Republic of Moldova.

Information on GIs protected under the Association Agreement is available on the AGEPI website: http://www.db.agepi.md/GeogrIndications/SearchGI.aspx