COMMISSION DELEGATED REGULATION (EU) No 664/2014 
of 18 December 2013 
supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council with 
regard to the establishment of the Union symbols for protected designations of origin, protected 
geographical indications and traditional specialities guaranteed and with regard to certain rules on 
sourcing, certain procedural rules and certain additional transitional rules 
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, 
Having regard to Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 November 2012 
on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs (1), and in particular the first and second subparagraphs of 
Article 5(4), the first subparagraph of Article 12(7), Article 16(2), the first subparagraph of Article 19(2), the first sub ­
paragraph of Article 23(4), Article 25(3), the first subparagraph of Article 49(7), the first subparagraph of Article 51(6), 
the first subparagraph of Article 53(3), and the first subparagraph of Article 54(2) thereof, 
Whereas: 
(1)  Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 has repealed and replaced Council Regulations (EC) No 509/2006 of 20 March 
2006 on agricultural products and foodstuffs as traditional specialities guaranteed (2) and (EC) No 510/2006 of 
20 March 2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products 
and foodstuffs (3). Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 empowers the Commission to adopt delegated and imple ­
menting acts. In order to ensure the smooth functioning of the quality schemes for agricultural products and 
foodstuffs in the new legal framework, certain rules have to be adopted by means of such acts. The new rules 
should replace the implementing rules of Regulations (EC) No 509/2006 and (EC) No 510/2006 which were laid 
down in Commission Regulations (EC) No 1898/2006 of 14 December 2006 laying down detailed rules of imple ­
mentation of Council Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 on the protection of geographical indications and designa ­
tions of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (4) and (EC) No 1216/2007 of 18 October 2007 laying 
down detailed rules for the implementation of Council Regulation (EC) No 509/2006 on agricultural products 
and foodstuffs as traditional specialities guaranteed (5), respectively. 
(2)  In order to take into account the specific character, and in particular the physical and material constraints, of the 
production of products of animal origin the name of which is registered as a protected designation of origin, 
derogations with regard to the sourcing of feed should be allowed in the product specification of such products. 
Those derogations should in no way affect the link between the geographical environment and the specific quality or characteristics of the product essentially or exclusively due to that environment. 
(3)  In order to take into account the specific character of certain products, restrictions with regard to the sourcing of 
raw materials for protected geographical indications should be allowed in the product specification of such 
products. Those restrictions should be justified in the light of objective criteria that are in line with the general 
principles of the scheme of protected geographical indications and that further improve the consistency of the 
products with the aims of the scheme. 
(4)  In order to ensure that the appropriate information is communicated to the consumer, the Union symbols 
designed to publicise protected designations of origin, protected geographical indications and traditional special ­
ities guaranteed should be established. 
(5)  In order to ensure that product specifications for traditional specialities guaranteed only provide relevant and 
succinct information and to avoid excessively voluminous applications for registration or applications for 
approval of an amendment to a product specification of a traditional speciality guaranteed, a limit to the length 
of product specifications should be laid down. 19.6.2014 L 179/17 Official Journal of the European Union EN     
(1) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1. 
(2) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 1. 
(3) OJ L 93, 31.3.2006, p. 12. 
(4) OJ L 369, 23.12.2006, p. 1. 
(5) OJ L 275, 19.10.2007, p. 3. (6)  In order to facilitate the application process, additional rules on national opposition procedures in case of joint 
applications concerning more than one national territory should be laid down. Since the right to oppose should 
be guaranteed on the whole Union territory, the obligation to carry out national opposition procedures in all 
Member States concerned by the joint applications should be provided for. 
(7)  In order to have clear steps in the opposition procedure, it is necessary to specify the procedural obligations of 
the applicant in case the appropriate consultations following the lodging of a reasoned statement of opposition result in an agreement. 
(8)  In order to facilitate the handling of applications for an amendment to a product specification, complementing 
rules concerning the scrutiny of the amendment applications and concerning the submission and assessment of 
minor amendments should be laid down. Because of their emergency nature, temporary amendments should be 
exempted from the standard procedure and should not be subject to formal approval by the Commission. 
However, the Commission should be kept fully informed about the content and the justifications of such amend ­
ments. 
(9) In order to ensure that all parties have the opportunity to defend their rights and legitimate interests, comple ­
menting rules regarding the cancellation process should be laid down. The cancellation process should be aligned 
to the standard procedure for registration laid down in Articles 49 to 52 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012. It 
should also be clarified that Member States are among the legal persons that may have a legitimate interest in 
submitting a request for cancellation under the first subparagraph of Article 54(1) of that Regulation. 
(10)  In order to protect the legitimate interests of producers or stakeholders concerned, it should still be possible that 
single documents concerning protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications registered prior to 31 March 2006 and for which a single document has not been published, are published upon request of 
the Member States concerned. 
(11)  Article 12(3) and the first subparagraph of Article 23(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 provide that for 
products originating in the Union that are marketed under a protected designation of origin, a protected geo ­
graphical indication or a traditional speciality guaranteed, the Union symbols associated with those products have 
to appear on the labelling and that the relevant indications or abbreviations may appear on the labelling. The 
second subparagraph of Article 23(3) provides that the symb ol is optional on the labelling of traditional special ­
ities guaranteed produced outside the Union. Those provisions will only be applicable from 4 January 2016. 
However, Regulations (EC) No 509/2006 and (EC) No 510/2006, which were repealed by Regulation (EU) 
No 1151/2012, provided for the obligation to place on the labelling of products originating in the Union either 
the symbol or the complete indication and gave the option to use the indication ‘traditional speciality guaranteed’ 
on the labelling of traditional specialities guaranteed produced outside the Union. For the sake of continuity 
between the two repealed Regulations and Regulation (E U) No 1151/2012, the obligation of placing on the label ­
ling of products originating in the Union either the Union symbols or the respective indication and the option to 
use the indication ‘traditional speciality guaranteed’ on the labelling of traditional specialities guaranteed produced 
outside the Union should be considered as implicitly set out by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 and already 
applicable. In order to ensure legal certainty and to protect the rights and the legitimate interests of producers or 
stakeholders concerned, the conditions of use of symbols and indications on the labelling as laid down in Regula ­
tions (EC) No 509/2006 and (EC) No 510/2006 should continue to be applied until 3 January 2016. 
(12)  For the sake of clarity and legal certainty, Regulations (EC) No 1898/2006 and (EC) No 1216/2007 should be 
repealed, 
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION: 
Article 1 
Specific rules on sourcing of feed and of raw materials 
1. For the purposes of Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, feed shall be sourced entirely from within the 
defined geographical area in respect of products of animal origin the name of which is registered as a protected designa ­
tion of origin. 
Insofar as sourcing entirely from within the defined geographical area is not technically practicable, feed sourced from 
outside that area can be added, provided that the product quality or characteristic essentially due to the geographical 
environment are not affected. Feed sourced from outside the defined geographical area shall in no case exceed 50 % of 
dry matter on annual basis. 19.6.2014 L 179/18 Official Journal of the European Union EN     2. Any restrictions to the origin of raw materials provided in the product specification of a product the name of 
which is registered as a protected geographical indication shall be justified in relation to the link referred to in point (f)(ii) of Article 7(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012. 
Article 2 
Union symbols 
The Union symbols referred to in Articles 12(2) and 23(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 are established as laid 
down in the Annex to this Regulation. 
Article 3 
Limitation of product specifications for traditional specialities guaranteed 
The product specification referred to in Article 19 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 shall be concise and shall not 
exceed 5 000 words, except in duly justified cases. 
Article 4 
National opposition procedures for joint applications 
In case of joint applications as referred to in Article 49(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, the related national oppo ­
sition procedures shall be carried out in all the Member States concerned. 
Article 5 
Notification obligation concerning agreement in opposition procedure 
When the interested parties reach an agreement following the consultations referred to in Article 51(3) of Regulation 
(EU) No 1151/2012, the authorities of the Member State or of the third country from which the application was lodged 
shall notify the Commission of all the factors which enabled that agreement to be reached, including the opinions of the 
applicant and of the authorities of a Member State or of a third country or other natural and legal persons having 
lodged an opposition. 
Article 6 
Amendments to a product specification 
1. The application for an amendment to a product specification as referred to in Article 53(1) of Regulation (EU) 
No 1151/2012 which is not minor shall contain an exhaustive description and the specific reasons for each amendment. The description shall compare in detail, for each amendment, the original product specification and, where relevant, the original single document with the amended version proposed. 
That application shall be self-sufficient. It shall contain all amendments to the product specification and, where relevant, 
to the single document for which approval is sought. 
An application for an amendment which is not minor that does not comply with the first and the second subparagraphs 
shall not be admissible. The Commission shall inform the applicant if the application is deemed inadmissible. 
The approval by the Commission of an application for an amendment to a product specification which is not minor 
shall only cover the amendments as included in the application itself. 
2. Applications for a minor amendment to a product specification concerning protected designations of origin or 
protected geographical indications shall be submitted to the authorities of the Member State the geographical area of the 
designation or indication relates to. Applications for a minor amendment of a product specification concerning tradi ­
tional specialities guaranteed shall be submitted to the authorities of the Member State in which the group is established. 
If the application for a minor amendment of a product specification does not come from the group which had submitted 
the application for registration of the name or names the product specification refers to, the Member State shall give 
that group the opportunity to make comments on the application if that group still exists. If the Member State considers that the requirements of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 and of the provisions adopted pursuant thereto are met, it may 
lodge a minor amendment application dossier with the Commission. Applications for a minor amendment to a product 
specification concerning products originating in third countries may be submitted by a group having a legitimate interest 
either directly to the Commission or via the authorities of that third country. 19.6.2014 L 179/19 Official Journal of the European Union EN     The application for a minor amendment shall only propose minor amendments in the meaning of Article 53(2) of Regu ­
lation (EU) No 1151/2012. It shall describe those minor amendments, provide a summary of the reason an amendment is required and show that the proposed amendments qualify as minor in accordance with Article 53(2) of Regulation 
(EU) No 1151/2012. It shall compare, for each amendment, the original product specification and, where relevant, the 
original single document with the amended version proposed. The application shall be self-sufficient and shall contain 
all amendments to the product specification and, where relevant, to the single document for which approval is sought. 
Minor amendments referred to in the second subparagraph of Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 shall be 
deemed approved if the Commission does not inform the applicant otherwise within three months from the reception 
of the application. 
An application for a minor amendment that does not comply with the second subparagraph of this paragraph shall not 
be admissible. Tacit approval referred to in the third subparagraph of this paragraph shall not apply to such applications. 
The Commission shall inform the applicant if the application is deemed inadmissible within three months from the 
reception of the application . 
The Commission shall make public the approved minor amendment to a product specification not implying a modifica ­
tion of the elements referred to in Article 50(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012. 
3. The procedure laid down in Articles 49 to 52 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 shall not apply to amendments 
concerning a temporary change in the product specification resulting from the imposition of obligatory sanitary and phytosanitary measures by the public authorities or linked to natural disasters or adverse weather conditions formally recognised by the competent authorities. 
Those amendments shall be communicated to the Commission together with the reasons for them not later than two 
weeks following approval. Temporary amendments to a product specification concerning protected designations of 
origin or protected geographical indications shall be communicated to the Commission by the authorities of the Member State the geographical area of the designation or indication relates to. Temporary amendments to a product specification concerning traditional specialities guaranteed shall be communicated to the Commission by the authorities of the Member State in which the group is established. Temporary amendments concerning products originating in third 
countries shall be communicated to the Commission either by a group having a legitimate interest or by the authorities 
of that third country. Member States shall publish temporary amendments to the product specification. In communica ­
tions concerning a temporary amendment to a product specification relating to a protected designation of origin or a 
protected geographical indication, Member States shall only en close the reference to the publication. In communications 
concerning a temporary amendment to a product specification relating to a traditional speciality guaranteed, they shall enclose the temporary amendment to the product specification as published. In communications concerning products 
originating in third countries the approved temporary amen dments to the product specification shall be sent to the 
Commission.. Evidence of the sanitary and phytosanitary measures and a copy of the act recognising natural disasters or adverse weather conditions shall be provided in all communications for temporary amendments from Member States and third countries. The Commission shall make public such amendments. 
Article 7 
Cancellation 
1. The procedure laid down in Articles 49 to 52 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 shall apply mutatis mutandis to 
the cancellation of a registration as referred to in the first and second subparagraphs of Article 54(1) of that Regulation. 
2. Member States shall be allowed to submit a request for cancellation on their own initiative pursuant to the first 
subparagraph of Article 54(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012. 
3. The request for cancellation shall be made public pursuant to the second paragraph of Article 50(1) of Regulation 
(EU) No 1151/2012. 
4. Reasoned statements of opposition as regards cancellation shall be admissible only if they show continued 
commercial reliance by an interested person on the registered name. 
Article 8 
Transitional rules 
1. In respect of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications registered prior to 31 March 
2006, the Commission shall, at the request of a Member State, publish a single document submitted by that Member 
State in the Official Journal of the European Union . That publication shall be accompanied by the reference of publication 
of the product specification. 19.6.2014 L 179/20 Official Journal of the European Union EN     2. Until 3 January 2016 the following rules shall apply: 
(a)  for products originating in the Union, where the registered name is used on the labelling, it shall be accompanied 
either by the relevant Union symbol or by the relevant indication referred to in Article 12(3) or Article 23(3) of 
Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012; 
(b)  for products which are produced outside the Union, the indication referred to in Article 23(3) of Regulation (EU) 
No 1151/2012 shall be optional on the labelling of traditional specialities guaranteed. 
Article 9 
Repeal 
Regulations (EC) No 1898/2006 and (EC) No 1216/2007 are repealed. 
Article 10 
Entry into force and application 
This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the Euro ­
pean Union . 
Article 5 shall only apply to opposition procedures for which the three-month period established in the first sub ­
paragraph of Article 51(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 has not expired on the date of entry into force of this 
Regulation. 
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States. 
Done at Brussels, 18 December 2013. 
For the Commission 
The President 
José Manuel BARROSO  19.6.2014 L 179/21 Official Journal of the European Union EN     ANNEX 
Union symbol for ‘Protected designation of origin’ 
Union symbol for ‘Protected geographical indication’ 
Union symbol for ‘Traditional speciality guaranteed’ 
19.6.2014 L 179/22 Official Journal of the European Union EN