INFORMATION NOTICE – PUBLIC CONSULTATION – Geographical indications from the Republic of Moldova
Date: 2025-06-27
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Moldova, association agreement (EU), consumer information, designation of origin, dried product, fruit, medical plant, product designation, public consultation, sheep's milk cheese








C_202503582EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/3582


27.6.2025






INFORMATION NOTICE – PUBLIC CONSULTATION
Geographical indications from the Republic of Moldova
(C/2025/3582)

Within the framework of Article 298 (1) of the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, and the Republic of Moldova, the Moldovan authorities presented a list of geographical indications to be added to the geographical indications listed in Annex XXX-C and XXX-D to the Agreement, for the purpose of their protection in the Union. The Commission is currently assessing whether these geographical indications should be protected in the Union.
The Commission invites any Member State or third country or any natural or legal person having a legitimate interest, resident or established in a Member State or in a third country, to submit opposition to such protection by lodging a duly substantiated statement.
Statements of opposition must reach the Commission within two months of the date of this publication. Statements of opposition should be sent to the following email address:

AGRI-G4-GI@ec.europa.eu

Statements of opposition shall be examined only if they are received within the time-limit set out above and if they show that:






(a)


the protection of the name proposed would conflict 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;










(b)


the name proposed would be wholly or partially homonymous with any of the following:






—


the name of a wine, spirit drink or agricultural product already protected in the Union under Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 on geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, as well as traditional specialities guaranteed and optional quality terms for agricultural products (2),










—


the name of a wine already protected in the Union under 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 (3),










—


the name of a spirit drink already protected in the Union under 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 (4),










—


one of the geographical indications from non-EU countries protected in the EU under bilateral/multilateral agreements publicly available at the following address:

https://www.tmdn.org/giview/















(c)


in the light of a trademark’s reputation and renown and the length of time it has been used, the protection of the name proposed would be liable to mislead the consumer as to the true identity of the product;










(d)


the protection of the name would jeopardise the existence of an entirely or partly identical name, the existence of a trademark or the existence of products which have been legally on the market for at least five years preceding the date of the publication of this notice;










(e)


from details they give, it can be concluded that the name for which protection is considered is generic.




The criteria referred to above shall be applied in relation to the territory of the Union, which in the case of intellectual property rights refers only to the territory or territories where the said rights are protected. The protection of these names in the Union is subject to the successful conclusion of this procedure and subsequent legal act adding these names to the above-mentioned Agreement.

List of Geographical Indications from the Republic of Moldova to be protected as Geographical Indications in the European Union for agricultural products, foodstuffs and wines
 (5)







Name


Short description (Product category)




Brînză de Popeasca


Food




Pistil de Valea Răutului


Food




Prune deosebite de Lalova


Food




Zăbriceni


Food






(1)  
            OJ L 260, 30.8.2014, p. 4.

(2)  
            OJ L, 2024/1143, 23.4.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1143/oj.

(3)  
            OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671.

(4)  
            OJ L 130, 17.5.2019, p. 1.

(5)  List provided by the authorities of the Republic of Moldova.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/3582/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)