INFORMATION NOTICE – PUBLIC CONSULTATION – Geographical Indications from Costa Rica to be protected as Geographical Indications in the European Union
Date: 2025-08-20
Institutions: Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, European Commission
Subjects: Costa Rica, association agreement (EU), cheese, consumer information, designation of origin, public consultation








C_202504682EN.000101.fmx.xml












Official Journal of the European Union


EN
C series













C/2025/4682


20.8.2025






INFORMATION NOTICE – PUBLIC CONSULTATION
Geographical Indications from Costa Rica to be protected as Geographical Indications in the European Union
(C/2025/4682)

Within the framework of the Agreement establishing an Association between the European Union and its Member States, on the one hand, and Central America (1) on the other (2), the authorities of Costa Rica presented an additional geographical indication to be added to the geographical indications listed in Annex XVIII of the Agreement, for the purpose of their protection in the Union. The Commission is currently assessing whether this geographical indication should be protected in the Union.
The Commission invites any Member State or third country or any natural or legal persons having a legitimate interest, resident or established in a Member State or in a third country, to submit oppositions 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 e-mail address:






 



AGRI-THE-AMERICAS@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:






1.


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;










2.


the name proposed would be wholly or partially homonymous:






a.


with that of a name already protected in the Union under Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council (3); or










b.


with one of the geographical indications from non-EU countries protected in the Union under bilateral agreements available at the following address: https://www.tmdn.org/giview/;














3.


in the light of a trade mark’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;










4.


the protection of the name proposed would jeopardise:






a.


the existence of an entirely or partly identical name,










b.


the existence of a trade mark,










c.


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;














5.


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 eventual protection of these names in the Union is subject to the successful conclusion of the negotiations and subsequent legal act.

List of geographical indications
                   (4)








No


Category of products and short description


Name protected in Costa Rica




1


Cheese


Queso Turrialba






(1)  Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.

(2)  
            OJ L 346, 15.12.2012, p. 3.

(3)  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, amending Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013, (EU) 2019/787 and (EU) 2019/1753 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 (OJ L, 2024/1143, 23.4.2024, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1143/oj).

(4)  List of geographical indications provided by the authorities of Costa Rica in the framework of proceedings according to Article 247 of the Agreement.


ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/C/2025/4682/oj
ISSN 1977-091X (electronic edition)