Chapter II, Article 16 · Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/26

Contents

Article 16Union register of geographical indications#

1.The Union register of geographical indications referred to in Article 22 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 shall be established as a digital solution allowing the technical storage of and public access to all entries concerning geographical indications, including applications for registration, for Union amendment and for cancellation, rejections, publications for opposition, registrations, approvals of Union amendments, publications of standard and temporary amendments, and cancellations. The Commission shall be the owner of that Union register. The digital solution shall be hosted and managed by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (‘EUIPO’), in accordance with Article 22(2) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143. The Commission shall make available the relevant data to EUIPO. The Union register shall be available in all the official languages of the Union.

2.The following data shall be recorded in the register referred to in paragraph 1 as appropriate:

(a)the registered name or names of the product, including their transcriptions or transliterations in Latin characters, where applicable. Multiple names, transcriptions and transliterations shall be recorded as alternative names, separated by a space, a forward slash and a second space;

(b)the sector to which the product belongs (wine, spirit drink or agricultural product);

(c)the classification of the product in accordance with the Combined Nomenclature heading and code, as referred to in Article 6(1) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143;

(d)the date of the submission of the application to the Commission;

(e)the date of publication in the Official Journal of the European Union;

(f)electronic reference to the publication of the application in the Official Journal of the European Union;

(g)the date of registration;

(h)electronic reference to the instrument registering the name in the Official Journal of the European Union;

(i)information that the name is registered as a protected designation of origin or as a protected geographical indication (for wines and agricultural products) or as geographical indication (for spirit drinks);

(j)indication of the country or countries of origin;

(k)the file number;

(l)name and address and, where available, any other contact information of the recognised producer group, where applicable;

(m)names and addresses of the control authorities in case of geographical indication originating in a third country.

3.In accordance with paragraph 2, point (f), the following data shall be recorded:

(a)in case of agricultural products and wines:

(i)where the defined geographical area falls within the territory of a Member State, the electronic reference to the publication of the single document in the Official Journal of the European Union and the electronic reference to the publication of the product specification in the Member State, as referred to in Article 13(1), point (e), of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143, or, if it has been changed in the course of the procedure, Article 8(2) of this Regulation;

(ii)where the defined geographical area falls within the territory of a third country, the electronic reference to the publication of the single document in the Official Journal of the European Union and an electronic reference to the product specification, as referred to in Article 13(2), point (a), of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143, or, if it has been changed in the course of the procedure, Article 8(3) of this Regulation;

(iii)for geographical indications for which a single document has never been published in the Official Journal of the European Union, an electronic reference to the summary sheet, single document or equivalent document, and to the product specification or the technical file, or an electronic reference to the product specification or the technical file as appropriate;

(b)in case of spirit drinks:

(iii)for geographical indications for which a single document has never been published in the Official Journal of the European Union, an electronic reference to the main specifications of the technical file and to the technical file or an electronic reference to the technical file, as appropriate.

4.With reference to paragraph 2, point (h), in the absence of a specific instrument registering the name, the following data shall be recorded:

(a)in case of wine protected under Article 107 of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013, the reference to that Article and the electronic reference to the publication of that Regulation in the Official Journal of the European Union;

(b)in case of spirit drinks protected under Article 37 of Regulation (EU) 2019/787, the reference to that Article and the electronic reference to the publication of that Regulation in the Official Journal of the European Union.

5.Where the Commission approves a Union amendment to a product specification or receives a communication of an approved, or annulled, standard amendment to a product specification, data concerning the amendment shall be recorded following the list in paragraphs 2 and 3, as appropriate, with effect from the date on which the amendment, or annulation thereof, is applicable in the Union. Electronic references to the publication of communications of standard amendments shall be recorded. Electronic reference leading to the communications of a temporary amendment shall be recorded to make those communications public.

6.The extract from the Union register of geographical indications shall include data referred to in paragraph 2, points (a) to (e), and points (g) to (l).

7.Where the registration of a geographical indication has been cancelled, the Union register of geographical indications shall show the name as cancelled from the date on which the relevant implementing act takes effect. That register shall maintain a record of the cancellation, including the electronic reference to the decision of cancellation.

8.Where the Commission receives an application for registration or for approval of a Union amendment, or a request of cancellation the name, file number, classification of the product, country of origin, application type, date and status of the received application or request shall be recorded in the Union register of geographical indications. The date of publication and the electronic reference to that publication shall be also recorded once the application is published in the Official Journal of the European Union. The Union register of geographical indications shall keep record of the decision of rejection of applications, including the electronic reference to the decision of rejection.

9.The data referred to in paragraphs 2 to 5, 7 and 8 of this Article shall remain in the Union register of geographical indications. Member States shall be responsible for keeping the electronic reference to the product specification referred to in Article 13(1), point (e), of Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 active and properly functioning as long as the geographical indication remains protected. The electronic reference shall lead directly to the updated version of the individual product specification. It shall not lead to intermediate pages or hyperlinks.