This Decision shall enter into force on the day of its adoption.

The President of the Council shall designate the person empowered to proceed, on behalf of the European Union, to the notification provided for in Article 14(1) of the Agreement, in order to express the consent of the Union to be bound by the Agreement.

2.For the purposes of amending the references to the law applicable in the Parties, the position of the Union on proposed modifications to Annex I to the Agreement shall be approved by the Commission, on the Union’s behalf.

1.For the purposes of Article 3 of the Agreement, the position of the Union on proposed modifications to Annexes III and IV as well as on the relevant corresponding deletions from Annexes V and VI to the Agreement shall be approved by the Commission, on the Union’s behalf. Where interested parties cannot reach an agreement following objections relating to a geographical indication, the Commission shall adopt a position in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 57(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and the Council.

The text of the Agreement is attached to this Decision.

The Agreement between the European Union and the government of the People's Republic of China on cooperation, on, and protection of, geographical indications is hereby approved on behalf of the Union.

(5)The Agreement should be approved on behalf of the European Union,

(4)It is appropriate for the Council to authorise the Commission, in accordance with Article 218(7) of the Treaty, to approve on the Union’s behalf the position to be adopted in the Joint Committee on proposed modifications to Annexes I and III to VI of the Agreement.

(3)Article 10 of the Agreement establishes a Joint Committee responsible for amending the Annexes to the Agreement.

(2)The proposed agreement seeks to obtain the highest possible level of protection for geographical indications and to provide instruments to counter deceptive practices and wrongful uses of geographical indications.

(1)In accordance with Council Decision (EU) 2020/…, the Agreement between the European Union and the government of the People's Republic of China on cooperation, on, and protection of, geographical indications (the Agreement), was signed on DD MMM YYY, subject to its conclusion at a later date.

Having regard to the consent of the European Parliament,

Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 207(3) and the first subparagraph of Article 207(4), in conjunction with point (a)(v) of Article 218(6) and Article 218(7) thereof,

on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and the government of the People's Republic of China on cooperation on, and protection of, geographical indications

The geographical indications will co-exist with the legitimate earlier trademarks of which the vast majority belong to the legitimate owners of Europe.

The protection of 175 additional geographical indications within four years of the entry into force and a mechanism to add more geographical indications thereafter;

A TRIPs-plus level of protection to EU geographical indications following the entry into force of the Agreement which provides protection against translation, transcription or transliteration, and against the use of the said geographical indications accompanied by expressions such as "kind", "type", "style", "imitation" or the like in respect of a non-originating product .

In line with the objectives set by the negotiating directives, the Commission secured:

The EU-China agreement on geographical indications establishes the conditions for a high level of protection on the Chinese market for the proposed geographical indications.

•Detailed explanation of the specific provisions of the proposal

The Joint Committee shall also see to the proper functioning of this Agreement and may consider any matter related to its implementation and operation.•Explanatory documents (for directives)

The Agreement between the European Union and the government of the People's Republic of China on cooperation on, and protection of, geographical indications includes institutional provisions that lay down a joint Committee with the purpose of monitoring the implementation of the Agreement and of intensifying the co-operation and dialogue on geographical indications.

The proposal does not affect the protection of fundamental rights in the Union.

This proposal is in accordance with Article 218 TFEU, which envisages the adoption by the Council of decisions on international agreements. There exists no other legal instrument that could be used in order to achieve the objective expressed in this proposal.

This proposal is in line with the vision of the Europe 2020 strategy and contributes to the EUs trade and development objectives.

The Agreement between the European Union and the government of the People's Republic of China as presented to Council does not cover any matters that fall outside of the EU’s exclusive competence.

In addition, Article 218(7) TFEU has been added as a legal basis as it is appropriate for the Council to authorise the Commission to approve the position of the Union on certain modifications to the EU-China agreement on geographical indications given that it provides for expedited and/or simplified procedures to approve such modifications.

The EU-China agreement on Geographical Indications is to be concluded by the Union pursuant to a decision of the Council based on Article 207(3) and the first subparagraph of Article 207(4), as well as Article 218(6) TFEU, following the European Parliament’s consent.

The conclusion of a bilateral agreement on geographical indications with the People’s Republic of China is in line with the EU’s external actions and in particular with the Union objectives regarding the EU strategy of promoting the policy of geographical indications.

The conclusion of the Agreement fits into the overall EU strategy of promoting the EU geographical indication policy. The initiative aims to provide a high level of protection, at least at article 23 TRIPS+ level, to a list of EU geographical indications in the People’s Republic of China and Chinese geographical indications in the EU. The initiative will give producers of products bearing geographical indications a competitive advantage

The attached proposal for a Council Decision constitutes the legal instrument for the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and the government of the People's Republic of China on cooperation on, and protection of, geographical indications.

Proposal for a Council Decision on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and the government of the People's Republic of China on cooperation on, and protection of, geographical indications.

Following the signature of the agreement, the Commission is putting forward the following proposal for Council decision:

Following the conclusion of these negotiations in November 2019, the Council has adopted the Council Decision on the signing, on behalf of the European Union, of the Agreement between the European Union and the government of the People's Republic of China on cooperation on, and protection of, geographical indications.

On the basis of these directives, the Commission has negotiated with the People’s Republic of China an ambitious and comprehensive agreement on cooperation on, and protection of, geographical indications.

On 10 September 2010 the Council authorised the opening of negotiations on an agreement with China to obtain the highest possible level of protection for the geographical indications coming within the scope of the Agreement and to provide instruments to counter deceptive practices and the wrongful uses of geographical indications.

•Reasons for and objectives of the proposal

on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and the government of the People's Republic of China on cooperation on, and protection of, geographical indications

EUROPEAN COMMISSION Brussels, 27.5.2020 COM(2020) 213 final ANNEX to the Proposal for a



COUNCIL DECISION on the conclusion of the Agreement between the European Union and the government of the People's Republic of China on cooperation on, and protection of, geographical indications



ANNEX [DRAFT] AGREEMENT

BETWEEN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

ON COOPERATION ON, AND PROTECTION OF, GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, on the one part, And THE EUROPEAN UNION, on the other part, hereinafter jointly referred to as the "Parties", CONSIDERING that the Parties agree to promote between them harmonious cooperation and the development of geographical indications as defined in Article 22(1) of the Agreement on Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (the "TRIPS Agreement") and to foster the trade of products carrying such geographical indications originating in the territories of the Parties; HAVE DECIDED TO CONCLUDE THIS AGREEMENT: Article 1

Scope of the Agreement 1.This Agreement applies to the cooperation on, and protection of, geographical indications of products which originate in the territories of the Parties. 2.The Parties agree to consider extending the scope of geographical indications covered by this Agreement after its entry into force to other product classes of geographical indications not covered by the scope of the legislation referred to in Article 2, and in particular handicrafts, by taking into account the legislative development of the Parties. For the purposes referred to in the first subparagraph of Article 1 paragraph 2 the Parties have included in Annex VII names identifying products originating and protected in their territory that, upon enlargement of the scope of protection of this Agreement, shall be given priority for protection in accordance with the procedures set out in Article 3 of this Agreement. The Parties shall review the progress made in enlarging the scope of protection of this Agreement within two years from the date of entry into force of this Agreement and conduct a review every two years thereafter. Article 2

Established geographical indications 1.The Parties conclude that their respective legislation listed in Annex I to this Agreement establish the essential elements for the procedure for registration and protection of geographical indications as defined by Article 22(1) of the TRIPS Agreement. The Parties agree that the essential elements referred to in the first subparagraph of Article 2(1) are the following: (a)one or more registers listing geographical indications protected in the territory concerned; (b)an administrative process verifying that a geographical indication identifies a good as originating in a territory, region or locality of one of the Parties, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographical origin;

(c)a requirement that a registered name shall correspond to a specific product or products for which a product specification is laid down which can only be amended by due administrative process; (d)control provisions applying to production; (e)enforcement of the protection of registered names by appropriate administrative action by the public authorities; (f)a right for any producer established in the area who submits to the system of controls, to market products labelled with the protected name provided that the producer complies with the product specifications; (g)an opposition procedure that allows the legitimate interests of prior users of names, whether those names are protected as a form of intellectual property or not, to be taken into account. 2.Having examined the technical specifications set out in the form laid down in Annex II for the geographical indications of the People's Republic of China listed in Annex III, which have been registered by the People's Republic of China under its legislation listed in Annex I, the European Union undertakes to protect those geographical indications according to the level of protection no less than that laid down in this Agreement. 3.Having examined the technical specifications set out in the form laid down in Annex II for the geographical indications of the European Union listed in Annex IV, which have been registered by the European Union under its legislation listed in Annex I, the People's Republic of China undertakes to protect those geographical indications according to the level of protection no less than that laid down in this Agreement. 4.This Article applies without prejudice to any previous commitments of the Parties derived from the application of Article 3 of the TRIPS Agreement regarding National Treatment. Article 3

Addition of geographical indications 1.As regards geographical indications listed in Annex V or VI, the Parties understand that they will be processed according to the terms of this Agreement during the first four years after the entry into force of this Agreement. 2.Additions to the geographical indications listed in Annexes III and IV shall, after having examined their technical specifications set out in the form laid down in Annex II, be subject to the relevant procedures referred to in Article 10(3). Article 4

Scope of protection of geographical indications 1.In respect of the geographical indications listed in Annex III or IV, including geographical indications added thereto pursuant to Article 3 of this Agreement, each Party shall protect them against: (a)the use of any means in the designation or presentation of a good that indicates or suggests that the good in question originates in a geographical area other than the true place of origin in a manner which misleads the public as to the geographical origin of the good; (b)any use of a geographical indication identifying an identical or similar product not originating in the place indicated by the geographical indication in question, even where the true origin of the goods is indicated or the geographical indication is used in translation, transcription or transliteration, or accompanied by expressions such as "kind", "type", "style", "imitation" or the like; (c)any use of a geographical indication identifying an identical or similar product not compliant with the product specification of the protected name; 2.In the case of wholly or partially homonymous geographical indications, protection shall be accorded to each indication. However, a geographical indication which, although literally true as to the territory, region or locality in which the goods originate, falsely represents to the public that the goods originate in another territory shall not be protected. . Each Party shall, as far as possible, consult the other Party prior to determining the practical conditions under which the homonymous indications concerned will be differentiated from each other, taking into account the need to ensure equitable treatment of the producers concerned and that consumers are not misled. 3.As regards the addition of geographical indications pursuant to Article 3, a Party shall not be required to protect as a geographical indication a name that conflicts with the name of a plant variety or an animal breed and as a result is likely to mislead the consumer as to the true origin of the product. 4.Where a Party, in the context of negotiations with a third country, proposes to protect a geographical indication of that third country, and the name is homonymous with a geographical indication of the other Party protected under this Agreement, the latter shall be informed and be given the opportunity to comment before the name becomes protected.

5.Nothing in this Agreement shall oblige a Party to protect a geographical indication of the other Party which is not, or ceases to be, protected in its country of origin, or which has fallen into disuse in that country. Each Party shall notify the other Party if one of its geographical indications ceases to be protected in its country of origin or has fallen into disuse in that country. 6.This Agreement shall in no way prejudice the right of any person to use, in the course of trade, that person’s name or the name of that person’s predecessor in business, except where such name is used in such a manner as to mislead the public. Article 5

Right of use of geographical indications 1.A geographical indication protected under this Agreement may be used on any legitimate product conforming to the technical specification of that geographical indication and following all the requirements of the relevant legislation of the Party in which the geographical indication originates as listed in Annex I. 2.Once a geographical indication is protected under this Agreement, the products covered by this geographical indication may bear the official symbols of the geographical indication of the other Party in the territory of that Party, in accordance with the relevant legislation listed in Annex I. Geographical indications listed in Annex III shall be incorporated in the relevant EU register with effect from the date of entry into force of this Agreement. The products covered by a geographical indication protected under this Agreement and listed in Annex III, including those Geographical Indications entered into Annex III in accordance with Article 3 of this Agreement, may bear the European symbol corresponding to a Protected Designation of Origin or to a Protected Geographical Indication in the territory of the Union. Following a case-by-case assessment, the EU shall decide on entering the geographical indications listed in Annex III, including those Geographical Indications entered into Annex III in accordance with Article 3 of this Agreement, in the relevant EU register either as a Protected Designation of Origin or as a protected Geographical Indication. These geographical indications shall be incorporated in the register with effect from the date of application of such decision. For the geographical indications listed in Annex IV, the symbols corresponding to Geographical Indication Products as laid down by the legislation of the People's Republic of China may be used. Once a geographical indication is protected under this Agreement, the products covered by this geographical indication may bear the official symbols in accordance with the legislation of the originating Party listed in Annex I, in the territory of the other Party, provided that general labelling requirements of the latter are met. This paragraph shall be without prejudice to the right of either Party to adopt or maintain a system for authorising the use of official symbols for geographical indications originating in its territory. 3.Once a geographical indication is protected under this Agreement, the use of such protected name by any user in the territory of the other Party shall not be subject to any administrative approval of users, or further administrative charges. The right holder or the control body of a geographical indication is encouraged to provide the list of users to the competent authorities of the other Party to facilitate enforcement under this Agreement. Article 6

Relationship with trade marks 1.The Parties shall, ex officio or at the request of an interested party, refuse or invalidate the registration of a trade mark which consists of a geographical indication or its translation or transcription, with respect to identical or similar products not having the origin indicated by that geographical indication, in accordance with their respective rules, provided that the application for registration of the trade mark has been submitted after the date of protection for the geographical indications listed in Annex III or IV, or after the date of application for protection for the geographical indications referred to in Article 3 of this Agreement, in the territory concerned. 2.The Parties shall also, at the request of an interested party, refuse to register, or shall invalidate the registration of a trade mark which indicates that the good in question originates in a geographical area other than the true place of origin with respect to identical or similar products, provided that the application for registration of the trade mark has been submitted after the date of protection for the geographical indications listed in Annex III or IV, or after the date of application for protection for the geographical indications referred to in Article 3 of this Agreement, in the territory concerned. 3.Nothing in this Agreement shall oblige a Party to protect a geographical indication of the other Party under this Agreement where, in the light of a reputed or well-known trade mark, the protection would be liable to mislead the consumers as to the true identity of the product. 4.The protection provided to the geographical indications listed in Annexes III and IV, through this Agreement, is without prejudice to the continued use and renewal of a trade mark which, in good faith, has been applied for, registered, or established through use if such possibility is provided for in the legislation of the Party concerned, prior to the date of protection for the geographical indications listed in Annex III or IV, or prior to the date of application for protection for the geographical indications referred to in Article 3 of this Agreement. The trade marks referred to in the first subparagraph of Article 6(4) may continue to be used and renewed provided that no grounds for the trade mark's invalidity or revocation exist in the legislation on trade marks of the Parties. It is understood that protection of geographical indications may be provided under legislation other than trade mark laws, such as legislation providing for sui generis protection of geographical indications. The date of protection and the date of application for protection are determined in accordance with paragraph 5. 5.For the purposes of paragraphs 1, 2 and 4 of this Article, the "date of protection" and the "date of application for protection" shall be the following: –For geographical indications listed in Annex III or IV, the date of protection shall be no later than the date of entry into force of this Agreement; –For geographical indications listed in Annexes V and VI, the date of application for protection shall be the date of entry into force of this Agreement; and the date of protection shall be no later than the date of entry into force of the respective modification to the Annex III or Annex IV.

–For geographical indications referred to in Article 3 paragraph 2, ,the date of the publication for the protection of a geographical indication shall serve as the date of application for protection of that geographical indication and the date of protection shall be no later than the date of entry into force of the respective modification to the Annex III or Annex IV. 6.As regards geographical indications listed in Annexes V and VI on the date of entry into force of this Agreement, trade marks applied for after the entry into force of this Agreement and corresponding to one of the situations referred to in paragraph 1 shall be rejected. As regards geographical indications listed in Annex III on the date of entry into force of this Agreement,trade marks applied for in the European Union between the date of publication for opposition and the entry into force of this Agreement and corresponding to one of the situations referred to in paragraph 1 shall be presumed having been applied for in bad faith. As regards geographical indications listed in Annex IV on the date of entry into force of this Agreement, trade marks applied for in the People’s Republic of China after 3 June 2017 and corresponding to one of the situations referred to in paragraph 1 shall be rejected. Article 7

Enforcement of protection The Parties shall enforce the protection provided for in this Agreement by appropriate action by their authorities. They shall also enforce such protection at the request of an interested party. This Article is without prejudice to the rights of interested parties to seek judicial enforcement. Article 8

General rules 1.The provisions of this Agreement shall apply without prejudice to any previous commitments of the Parties derived from international agreements on the protection of geographical indications and the enforcement thereof. 2.Import, export and marketing of products bearing geographical indications listed in Annex III or IV shall be conducted in compliance with the laws and regulations applicable in the territory of the Party in which the products are placed on the market. 3.Any matter arising from the technical specifications of registered products shall be dealt with in the Joint Committee established pursuant to Article 10. 4.The information on geographical indications, in particular the technical specifications for registration of a geographical indication as set out in Annex II, including any future amendments, shall be that examined and approved by the authorities of the Party in the territory in which the geographical indication concerned originates. Article 9

Transparency and exchange of information 1.The Parties shall, either through the Joint Committee established pursuant to Article 10 or, directly through the established contact points when the Joint Committee is not in session maintain contact on all matters relating to the implementation and functioning of this Agreement. In particular, a Party may request from the other Party information relating to relevant laws and regulations, information on geographical indications, and their modification, and information on contact points for control provisions. The contact points shall also be responsible for receiving the necessary documentation relating to the names listed in the Annexes. Each Party shall identify and communicate the contact point to be used for matters identified in subparagraph 1. For the Government of the People‘s Republic of China, the contact point is Department of Treaty and Law, Ministry of Commerce of China. For the European Union, the contact point is the European Commission Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development. 2.Each Party may make publicly available the information on geographical indications referred to in Article 8(4), including the technical specification or a summary thereof, and on contact points for control provisions corresponding to geographical indications of the other Party protected under this Agreement. Article 10

Joint Committee 1.The Parties hereby establish a Joint Committee consisting of representatives of both Parties with the purpose of monitoring the implementation of the Agreement and of intensifying their co-operation and dialogue on geographical indications. 2.The Joint Committee shall adopt its decisions by consensus. It shall determine its own rules of procedure. It shall meet at least once a year or at anytime agreed by the Parties, alternately in the European Union and in the People's Republic of China, at a time and place and in a manner (which may include by videoconference) mutually determined by the Parties, but no later than 90 days after the request.

3.The Joint Committee shall also see to the proper functioning of this Agreement and may consider any matter related to its implementation and operation. In particular, it shall be responsible for: (a)Amending Annex I as regards the references to the law applicable in the Parties and amending the other Annexes to this Agreement; (b)exchanging information on legislative and policy developments as regards geographical indications and on any other matter of mutual interest in the area of geographical indications; (c)exchanging information on geographical indications for the purpose of considering their protection in accordance with this Agreement. Article 11

Cooperation The Parties agree to cooperate with a view to supporting implementation of the commitments and obligations undertaken in this Agreement. Areas of cooperation include, but are not limited to, the following activities: (a)exchanging information with a view to supporting the functioning of the Joint Committee; (b)exchanging experiences of enforcement at the request of the other Party; (c)capacity building including with regard to enforcement of protection, and to the relation between trade marks and geographical indications; (d)exchanging information in order to optimise the operation of this Agreement; and (e)promotion and dissemination of information on geographical indications among, inter alia, business circles and civil society, as well as promotion of public awareness of consumers and right holders. Article 12

Territorial scope This Agreement applies, on the one hand, to the territories in which the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union are applied and under the conditions laid down in those Treaties and, on the other hand, with regard to the People’s Republic of China to the entire customs territory of China. Article 13

Authentic texts This Agreement is drawn up in duplicate in the Standard Chinese languageand English. It will also be translated into Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish, and Swedish , each text being equally authentic. In the event of inconsistencies of interpretation, the English and Chinese texts shall prevail. Article 14

Entry into force, amendments and termination 1.This Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the second month following the date of receipt of the last notification from the Parties in writing through diplomatic channels certifying that their respective legal procedures necessary for the entry into force of this Agreement have been completed. 2.The Parties may amend this Agreement by mutual written consent. An amendment to this Agreement shall enter into force on the first day of the second month after the written consent has been expressed by the Parties. Amendments to the Annexes shall be effected by a decision by the Joint Committee established pursuant to Article 10 3.Either Party may terminate this Agreement by giving the other Party one year’s written notice through diplomatic channels.





ANNEX I

Legislation of the Parties Part A

Legislation of the People's Republic of China General Provisions of the Civil Law of the People’s Republic of China Trademark Law of the People’s Republic of China Law of the People’s Republic of China on Product Quality Standardisation Law of the People’s Republic of China Law of the People’s Republic of China on Agriculture Law of the People’s Republic of China on the quality and safety of agricultural products Regulations for the Implementation of the Trademark Law of the People’s Republic of China Measures for the Registration and Administration of Collective Trademark and Certification Trademark (Ordinance of the former State Administration for Industry and Commerce No. 6) Regulations on Recognition and Protection of Well-known Trademarks (Ordinance of the former State Administration for Industry and Commerce No. 66) Regulations on Protection of Geographical Indications Products (Ordinance of the former General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China No. 78) Measures for Protection of Foreign Geographical Indication Products Measures for Administration of Geographical Indications for Agricultural Products Regulations of Registration Censor for Foreign Agro-product Geographical Indications

Part B

European Union legislation 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 Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulations (EEC) No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) No 1234/2007, and its implementing rules Regulation (EU) No 251/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 February 2014 on the definition, description, presentation, labelling and the protection of geographical indications of aromatised wine products and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1601/91

Regulation (EU) 2019/787 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the definition, description, presentation and labelling of spirit drinks, the use of the names of spirit drinks in the presentation and labelling of other foodstuffs, the protection of geographical indications for spirit drinks, the use of ethyl alcohol and distillates of agricultural origin in alcoholic beverages, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 110/2008



ANNEX II

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

FOR REGISTRATION OF A GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION 1. Name of the Geographical Indication [Insert the name or names as registered in the country of origin and their transcription, including a translation for information purposes] 2. Category of the product for which the name is protected [The originating Party indicates the category to which the geographical indication belongs in its domestic legislation] 3. Applicant [Insert name and address of the applicant/producer group or association] 4. protection in China/European Union Member State of Origin [Insert the earliest date of protection by relevant competent authority and provide proof of protection] 5. Description of product [Insert a concise technical description (type, shape, weight, size, colour, taste, physical and/or chemical properties etc.) of the finished product to which the name applies. For processed products, also provide information on the raw materials. For wines and spirits, provide information on raw material, alcohol content and physical appearance. For wines, indicate the wine grape variety, whether it is a red or white wine and whether it is a still or sparkling wine.] [For registration as a protected designation of origin, insert reference to respect of conditions set out in the relevant European Union legislation in relation to feed (in respect of products of animal origin) and to the raw materials] 6. Concise definition of the geographical area [Insert a description of the delimitation of the geographical area and give a description of the specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographic area.] [For registration as a protected designation of origin, insert reference showing that all production activities will take place in the geographical area.] 7. Link with the geographical area [Provide a short description of the link between the geographical area and a specific quality, reputation or other characteristics of the product; for example it should be demonstrated in what way the product's characteristics are due to the geographical area and what are the natural (such as soil condition and climate characteristics), human and other elements (such as product reputation and production traditions), which give the product its specificity as compared to products of the same category produced in other geographical areas.]