Publication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indications in the sector of agricultural products and foodstuffs, as referred to in Article 6b(2) and (3) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014
Date: 2025-06-26
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Brandenburg, Germany, consumer information, designation of origin, fruit vegetable, labelling, preserved product, product designation, quality control of agricultural products








C_202503568EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/3568


26.6.2025






Publication of an approved standard amendment to a product specification of a protected designation of origin or protected geographical indications in the sector of agricultural products and foodstuffs, as referred to in Article 6b(2) and (3) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014
(C/2025/3568)

This communication is published in accordance with Article 6b(5) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (1).
COMMUNICATING THE APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF A PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN OR PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION ORIGINATING IN A MEMBER STATE

                  ‘
                  Spreewälder Gurken’
                  


EU No: PGI-DE-0561-AM01


PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name of product


               ‘Spreewälder Gurken’
            
2.   Member State to which the geographical area belongs

Germany
3.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment

Federal Ministry of Justice, Unit IIIB5
4.   Description of the approved amendment(s)


Explanation of why the amendment(s) fall under the definition of a standard amendment as provided for in Article 24(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143

The application for amendment to the ‘Spreewälder Gurken’ PGI does not involve any of the three situations constituting a ‘Union amendment’, specifically:






a)


it does not include a change in the name of the protected designation of origin;










b)


it does not risk voiding the link to the geographical area;










c)


it does not entail further restrictions on the marketing of the product.




It should therefore be classified as a ‘standard amendment’.
The German government considers that the application lodged by the association, on which the German Patent and Trade Mark Office gave a favourable decision on 17 June 2024, meets the conditions of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

Standard amendment

Two amendments are planned:






1.


Rules on controlled and integrated cultivation
The text of the product specification in the first paragraph of Section B – Description currently reads as follows:

                                 ‘The unprocessed product is produced in the Spreewald economic region under conditions of controlled integrated cultivation in accordance with the Guidelines on the granting of aid for the introduction of controlled integrated production processes in fruit and vegetable cultivation of 18 May 1995 of the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry of the federal state of Brandenburg.’
                              
It is replaced by the following:

                                 ‘The unprocessed product is cultivated in the Spreewald economic region under conditions of controlled integrated cultivation in accordance with the current principles of controlled integrated production of horticultural crops in the federal state of Brandenburg published by the Kontrollring für integrierten Anbau von Obst und Gemüse im Land Brandenburg e.V. [Inspection body for integrated cultivation of fruit and vegetables in the federal state of Brandenburg].’
                              
Reason:
Following the repeal of the rules on the granting of aid by the federal state of Brandenburg, the substance and controls of the existing rules were transferred unamended into the principles of controlled integrated production of horticultural crops in the federal state of Brandenburg. Only the aid measures and references to subsidies were deleted. The inspection body for integrated cultivation of fruit and vegetables in the federal state of Brandenburg monitors compliance with the rules. There are accordingly no changes affecting the product specification of the PGI.










2.


Addition of ingredients, authorisation of additives
The text of the product specification in the second paragraph of Section B – Description currently reads as follows:

                                 ‘More than 70 % of the processed product consists of cucumbers produced in the Spreewald economic region under conditions of controlled integrated cultivation in accordance with the above Guidelines, in which fresh onions, fresh dill, herbs and horseradish are used as ingredients, depending on the flavour to be imparted. For products in jars with a nominal volume of up to 1 700 ml, sweetening is carried out using sucrose only. The total acidity (expressed as acetic acid) from fermentation vinegar in the end product is less than 1 %. Salt-dill gherkins (sour gherkins) contain a maximum salt content in the end product of only 3 %.’
                              
It is replaced by the following:

                                 ‘More than 70 % of the processed product consists of cucumbers produced in the Spreewald economic region under conditions of controlled integrated cultivation in accordance with the above principles, in which water, salt and – depending on the product – fermentation vinegar, fresh onions, fresh dill, herbs, spices, horseradish, herbal and spice extracts (natural aromas) and a small number of pieces of pickling vegetables for decoration or flavouring are used as ingredients. For products in packaging with a nominal volume of up to 1 700 ml, sweetening is carried out using sucrose only. Sweetening using sweeteners is also permitted in the production of Spreewälder Gurken in packaging with a nominal volume of more than 1 700 ml. Sweetening by sweeteners and the use of preservatives are also permitted, regardless of the size of packaging, in the production of Spreewälder Gurken as a raw preserved food product. The total acidity (expressed as acetic acid) from fermentation vinegar in the end product is less than 1 %. Salt-dill gherkins (sour gherkins) contain a maximum salt content in the end product of only 3 %.’
                              
Reason:






—


Amendments to second paragraph, first sentence: Addition of ingredients




The list of ingredients has been supplemented to include water and salt and – depending on the product – fermentation vinegar, spices, herbal and spice extracts (natural aromas) and a small number of pieces of pickling vegetables for decoration or flavouring.
The fact that water, salt, vinegar and spices, such as peppercorns or mustard seeds, have always been essential ingredients of ‘Spreewälder Gurken’ is sufficiently demonstrated by the documents provided. These documents also show that the addition of spice extracts and vegetables, such as onions, peppers or horseradish, was already common in the 1980s.






—


Amendments to second paragraph, second to fourth sentences: Authorisation of additives




Sweetening by sweeteners is also allowed for packaging with a nominal volume of more than 1 700 ml.
According to the current version of the specification, the requirement for sweetening to be carried out using sucrose only applies merely to products in jars with a nominal volume of up to 1 700 ml, and therefore the use of sweeteners in the production of ‘Spreewälder Gurken’ in larger containers is not precluded.
Removing the restriction for containers to be jars with a maximum volume of 1 700 ml reflects the fact that ‘Spreewälder Gurken’ is increasingly being packaged also in containers made of other materials.
Sweetening by sweeteners and the use of preservatives are also authorised, regardless of the size of packaging, in the production of Spreewälder Gurken as a raw preserved food product, as this is in line with the traditional practice of producers of Spreewälder Gurken.
The amendment affects the single document.




SINGLE DOCUMENT


                     ‘Spreewälder Gurken’
                  


EU No: PGI-DE-0561-AM01


PDO ( ) PGI (X)

1.   Name(s) (of PDO or PGI)


               ‘Spreewälder Gurken’
            
2.   Member State or Third Country

Germany
3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Combined Nomenclature code







—


20 – PREPARATIONS OF VEGETABLES, FRUIT, NUTS OR OTHER PARTS OF PLANTS
2001– Vegetables, fruit, nuts and other edible parts of plants, prepared or preserved by vinegar or acetic acid

                        2001 10  – Cucumbers and gherkins




3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

The unprocessed product is cultivated in the Spreewald economic region under conditions of controlled integrated cultivation in accordance with the current principles of controlled integrated production of horticultural crops in the federal state of Brandenburg published by the Kontrollring für integrierten Anbau von Obst und Gemüse im Land Brandenburg e.V. [Inspection body for integrated cultivation of fruit and vegetables in the federal state of Brandenburg].
More than 70 % of the processed product consists of cucumbers produced in the Spreewald economic region under conditions of controlled integrated cultivation in accordance with the above principles, in which water, salt and – depending on the product – fermentation vinegar, fresh onions, fresh dill, herbs, spices, horseradish, herbal and spice extracts (natural aromas) and a small number of pieces of pickling vegetables for decoration or flavouring are used as ingredients.
For products in packaging with a nominal volume of up to 1 700 ml, sweetening is carried out using sucrose only. Sweetening using sweeteners is also permitted in the production of Spreewälder Gurken in packaging with a nominal volume of more than 1 700 ml. Sweetening by sweeteners and the use of preservatives are also permitted, regardless of the size of packaging, in the production of Spreewälder Gurken as a raw preserved food product. The total acidity (expressed as acetic acid) from fermentation vinegar in the end product is less than 1 %. Salt-dill gherkins (sour gherkins) contain a maximum salt content in the end product of only 3 %.
3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only) and raw materials (for processed products only)

—
3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

Where the product is processed, this takes place using traditional recipes handed down from generation to generation and in accordance with traditional production and preservation processes adapted to the particular flavour.
3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

—
3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

Mandatory designation: ‘Spreewälder Gurken’ – geographical indication (in addition to the information required by law)
4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

Due to the soil and other climatic conditions, the specific character of the unprocessed product and the traditional recipes and processing methods, the geographical area is limited to the Spreewald economic region.






 


In the north, the area runs along the Dahme-Spreewald district boundary from the boundary of the rural district of Spree-Neiße to the northern boundary of Münchehofe, crossing the rural district of Dahme-Spreewald along the northern boundaries of Münchehofe, Märkisch-Buchholz, Halbe and Freidorf up to the western boundary of the rural district of Dahme-Spreewald;










 


in the west, the Spreewald economic region is delimited by sections of the boundary between the Dahme-Spreewald rural district and the Oberspreewald-Lausitz rural district, from the boundary of Freidorf to the boundary of Bronkow;










 


in the south, the boundary runs along the southern boundaries of the administrative regions of Calau and Altdöbern (rural district of Ostspreewald-Lausitz) and the Drebkau and Neuhausen administrative regions of the rural district of Spree-Neiße;










 


and in the east, the Spreewald economic region is delimited by the eastern boundary of the Neuhausen and Peitz administrative regions and the western boundary of the administrative region of Schenkendöbern, which is also the district boundary of the Spree-Neiße rural district.




5.   Link with the geographical area

The unique soil structure in the Spreewald economic region (basically peat with some clay and very fine silt deposits and constant relatively high moisture content) and its special microclimate provides the specific conditions for growing cucumbers. For centuries farms in that region have been growing cucumbers and selling them fresh and/or marketing them as a processed product preserved in accordance with traditional recipes. ‘Spreewälder Gurken’ have their own distinctive flavour which identifies them beyond all doubt as coming from the Spreewald economic region, and accounts for their good reputation among consumers.
It is therefore particularly important that processing also takes place in the Spreewald economic region, as this ensures that traditional preserving and processing methods are used. The cucumber growers and processors in that region follow processing guidelines which ensure quality and are monitored by independent inspectors.

Reference to publication of the product specification


https://register.dpma.de/DPMAregister/geo/detail.detailtabelle.pdfdownload/42439



(1)  
            OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/3568/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)