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#EU latest news on #FTA & #Promotion
On 15 September, oriGIn attended the EU Civil Dialogue Group on International Aspects of Agriculture. Here is a short report of the meeting:
#Promotion
The Commission shared the latest figures on import & export of EU agricultural products (see slides 1-11).
On promotional funds under Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014:
- The Commission said that the results of the 2016 call for candidatures will be published within the following 4 weeks (expected by the second week of October).
- Moreover, 123 million EUR have been provisionally allocated for promotional activities in 2017, with a strong emphasis on third countries (64 million EUR in total, 12.8 million EUR only for the US, Canada and Mexico).
#FTA
On the current Free Trade Agreements negotiations impacting on GIs, the most interesting news are the following:
- On the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada, in July, the Commission has adopted draft decisions for the Council’s conclusion, signature and for provisional application as a mixed agreement. The Agreement signature is foreseen at the end of October and its provisional application is expected in early 2017. On CETA and the protection of EU GIs, see oriGIn analysis
- Concerning the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), given the opposition of the US on GIs (as well as disagreement between the two parties on other issues), the agreement will not be concluded in 2016. The 15th TTIP negotiating round will take place in New York early in October. Here you find more details on oriGIn advocacy at TTIP negotiating rounds
- With respect to the FTA between the EU and Japan, both parties aim at concluding the negotiations by the end of 2016. At the meeting, the Commission informed that the recent Japanese sui generis law for agricultural GIs has been recently amended to allow the recognition of foreign agricultural GIs via an international agreement. The objective of the Commission is to obtain as well the recognition of wine and spirits EU GIs directly via the FTA, without the need for beneficiaries to file applications.
- On the EU-Mercosur FTA, as the negotiations have restarted, it is important for GIs to respond to the EU Questionnaire on a trade pillar of the EU-MERCOSUR Association agreement. GIs issues are at page 13 under IPRs, and the deadline to respond if the 3rd of October.
