Προστασία των γεωγραφικών ενδείξεων για τα βιομηχανικά και βιοτεχνικά προϊόντα στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση (αναθ.)

- welcomes the European Commission's proposal, which responds to the demands from European local and regional authorities;

- underlines the importance, in specific and justified cases, that a request to register a GI be granted to a regional or local authority;

- points out that many of these authorities already support sectors, in both the structuring and development phase of ICGIs and in implementing and promoting them;

- welcomes the fact that this proposal builds on the experience of GIs in agricultural and agri-food matters and that a harmonised approach between the different schemes is favoured;

- stresses that the European Union should ensure the same level of protection regardless of the nature of the GI;

- notes the inclusion of a direct registration procedure and calls for equal treatment in all procedures, whether or not they include a step for national registration;

- highlights the need to implement credible controls and is therefore concerned about the control procedure based on self-declaration as proposed by the European Commission;

- highlights the importance it attaches to the issue of innovation and research, which should not be hampered by product specifications or by an overly restrictive interpretation of the terms "tradition" and "traditional";

- emphasises the importance of ensuring that costs, in particular those related to appeals, such as the appeal fee, are non-discriminatory, so that every GI-holder can access them;

- recommends that the EUIPO's powers to verify geographical indications be clearly set out in a legal act.